In India Project Nashta - Column

UN Chronicle, Sept-Nov, 2001 by K. Tontisirin, G. Nantel, L. Bhattacharjee

1981. Samadhan is just an idea. In Delhi's low-income resettlement colonies, residents are a heterogeneous mix of different cultures, religions, languages and even cuisine. With no resources for information, awareness or available services, families are apathetic at best to the disabled amongst them. Some blame Karma, the evil eye, bad blood brought in by the daughter-in-law (never the son), the full moon and a variety of other events as the cause for the disability. This was the scenario into which Samadhan stepped. Our entry point into the target community was a child with intellectual disability, his mother and family. Twenty years down the line, we are happy with the progress achieved, not only with the disabled but with the women of the community.

Initially, our focus was on intellectual disability, but it gradually developed into a facility for all disabilities. With the support of the nodal centre, an early intervention unit for infants and pre-schoolers soon became available for home visits. These visits made us realize that the uneducated mothers had instinctively developed extremely innovative coping mechanisms. From making colourful mobiles out of broken pieces of glass bangles, to stringing colourful pieces of cloth the local tailor had thrown out, these mothers had demonstrated commendable resourcefulness and creativity. They were providing their children with training for cognitive skills we would usually associate only with the well-educated. This experience triggered the concept of "Mothers Group". We saw this as an opportunity to get the mothers together for sharing with and learning from one another. It would be a venue for a safe catharsis away from family and potential criticisms, and hopefully it would lead to solidarity among the women .

In an effort to get mothers of children with disability involved in the activities of the centre, we asked them to help the vocational training unit in the production of papier mache handicraft items. These were brightly coloured peacocks, parrots, caparisoned elephants and wall hangings--all very ethnic and beautifully made. Hitherto, the process had been laborious and slow, as the students were at different stages of development with varied intellectual capacities. With the help of the mothers, the quality, rate and completion of the production improved. We could now market the handicraft products. A central government outlet was our first buyer and soon we were selling them at Diwali and Christmas. It has now become possible to give small stipends to both the women and students. Although modest, the financial success of this venture was instrumental in inducing a willingness to look at other income-generating options. At one of the regular meetings, women voiced their concern about the malnutrition of thei r children, which initiated Project Nashta.

Nashta is an easily-made, low-cost nutrition supplement. Its Hindi translation is "breakfast". A short-term nutritionist helped make it into a high-protein nutrition supplement, which was suitable not only for malnourished infants from our target community but also for any children in need of such supplement. The ingredients are moon g (peanuts), channa dal (lentils), wheat germ and shakkar (molasses-like sugar), which is used as binder. The women also suggested changing the loose-powder form of the Nashta, which was messy, into ladoos (spherical sweets, shown in photograph below). Not surprisingly, this led to the well-being of families as a whole and gradually evolved into an organized process for generating income.

The mothers now meet every morning (many had to get "permission" from husbands and mothers-in-law), a paradigm shift from traditional home chores to involvement outside the home and family, rearranging commitments, such as filling containers with water, available only at fixed times from the Municipal Corporation. They discuss the packaging and pricing of Nashta based on what they spend on materials, learning the intricacies of demand and supply. Right from the beginning, they understood that they had complete responsibility for the project. It was they who undertook the purchase of the raw ingredients, the roasting, grinding and finally making the ladoos, which must be done when the sugar syrup is still hot and be manually formed into balls. In doing so, the women also learned the importance of cleanliness and hygiene. A positive outcome has been realizing the need to work together as a team with discipline and punctuality. Most of the women have learned to write their names. Presently, not entirely convince d of microcredit schemes, the women are looking seriously into other options. The Mothers Self-Help Group has improved their self-respect and self-confidence. They now see themselves as contributing members of their families, and the community looks at them with new respect. As one woman puts it, "even my mother-in-law respects me now".

This article was co-authored by K. Tontisirin, G. Natel and L. Bhattacharjee of the Food and Nutrition Division of FAO, headed by Dr. Tontisirin, former Director of the Institute of Nutrition at Thailand's Mahidol Unviersity.