Vitamin a Day, Keeps Malnutrition Away

What does 'Nutrition' mean to poor families in remote villages of Uttarakhand? Ever struggling with food security, these families are unable to provide even basic meals to their children twice a day. 'Nutrition' is a far-fetched concept here. These malnourished children in schools are lethargic and unable to focus or participate in learning activities. The school staff have reported that these children have weak immune, succumb to frequent illnesses and are often unable to attend school consistently.

A consultation with our doctor highlighted the fact that these children severely lack in proper dietary nutrition. In response, AITYS conducted a pilot project in two of our sponsored schools by distributing a 6-month supply of multi-vitamin syrups to each child. During and after the pilot project, school staff reported a drastic improvement in children's health, attention and activity levels in the classroom and in extra-curricular activities. Children's attendance also improved drastically.

Proper nutritional support via this multi-vitamin syrup would prevent malnutrition, assure appropriate physical growth and development, and help to maintain a strong immune system in these children. With positive results from Pilot, AITYS is determined to scale this initiative. We are seeking to provide a year-long supply of multivitamins to approximately 2,500 children across 27 schools in the Pauri and Tehri districts of rural Uttarakhand.