Date: 2nd August, 2023
SIGMA Foundation conducted “Baseline Study and Training Need Assessment of Anganwadi Supervisors and Anganwadi Workers for Implementation of Targeted Counselling During 1000 Days Window.” In order to improve the maternal and child health care, Government of Assam, have organized and improved the service delivery to mothers and infants along the continuum of care across life cycle including access to health facilities. Data from National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019-2021 revealed that the nutritional status of children and its critical determinants such as exclusive breastfeeding, early initiation of breastfeeding and adequate complementary feeding has not shown much improvement in the recent years.
ITC Mission Sunehra Kal, as a development partner, collaborated with the Directorate of Women & Child Development, Govt of Assam to demonstrate the Prevention of Malnutrition in eight districts of Assam through working with Anganwadi workers on strengthening their capacity for home-based targeted counselling, especially during the first 1000 days through digital counselling tools and counselling aids. The interventions on the ground will be conducted by the YouthInvest Foundation. Before initiation of the formal intervention, YouthInvest Foundation wanted to conduct a baseline study as well as Training Need Assessment (TNA with Anganwadi Supervisors and Anganwadi Workers). This study is a part of the MoU signed between ITC and the Directorate of Women & Child Development, Govt of Assam.
The study was undertaken across eight districts of Assam namely Baksa, Barpeta, Dhubri, Darrang, Goalpara, Kamrup, Hailakandi and Udalguri during April 26th and May 4th, 2023. Household survey was conducted with 320 mothers/primary caregivers of under-two children (40 from each of the districts) across the eight districts. Physical survey was conducted with 10 AWSs and 20 AWWs in each of the districts within the selected sector (One ICDS sector from each block with the highest prevalence of malnourishment in under-five children was selected for the study/interventions). Thus, in total, 80 AWSs and 160 AWWs were reached through physical survey. Moreover, 518 AWSs and 11,533 AWWs were reached through online survey. Eight focus group discussions were also carried out with AWWs. The report on the study findings was submitted to YouthInvest Foundation.