A mothers group in the remote village of Lorpa, Jumla, has transformed itself from the inside out to tackle child malnutrition and community sanitation.
The group had become complacent about meeting together and was virtually inactive. The members no longer felt there were any value in working together and were preoccupied with their own lives. The village became increasingly filthy, health problems increased and families visited traditional witch doctors to seek help.
When INF began its work in Lorpa, locals were skeptical. They believed that no organisation could help their situation. INF’s community staff lived and worked among the villagers of Lorpa. The Community Nutrition Facilitator ran regular meetings, began raising awareness and through games and role-plays was able to slowly and effectively convey the value of working as a group.
After three months members of the original mothers group began meeting again. It was soon evident that six children from families within the group were underweight and malnourished. The INF worker began nutrition classes and worked with the mothers to find locally based nutritious food. The group also began looking at community sanitation, health and hygiene issues.
Another three months on, the condition of all six children had improved and the mothers felt more confident in looking for the signs of malnutrition and in ensuring their children were adequately fed and healthy.
Today there is a common voice in the community as this mothers group brings positive change to the broader village. “We used to face lots of problems and diseases due to the dirtiness in the community,” says Deepa Buda, a member of INF’s Self-Help Group in Lorpa.
The members of the Bishnu Mothers Group are thankful to INF for the change in their community.