Health, Nutrition & HIV/AIDS Prevention

4. Health, Nutrition & HIV/AIDS Prevention

• 50 health camps conducted annually focusing on women, children, and adolescents.
• 730 children supported with health services; 34 severely malnourished children treated at Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres.
• Formation of Health Action Groups (HAGs) in 120 villages; 2,500 women trained to monitor public health services under NRHM.
• HIV/AIDS Prevention: Implemented Targeted Intervention (TI) projects with NACO, reaching FSWs, MSM, TGs, and IDUs; 670 high-risk women supported through prevention and welfare linkages.
• Annual World AIDS Day awareness programs reaching over 7,000 people.

Pradeepan organization has been working with women and adolescent girls from tribal, Dalit, and marginalized communities for the past three decades using a feminist, rights-based, and community-led approach. The organization believes that women's empowerment and health security are the cornerstones of social justice, gender equality, and democratic development.

🌺 Women’s Health Protection & Access to Services

Community-Based Health Rights Model

Pradeepan understood that for women from marginalized communities, health is not just a matter of medical services, but a question of dignity, equality, and rights. With this perspective, under the PACS project, the organization worked on the health rights of Dalit, tribal, and backward class women in 120 villages (Athaner, Prabhat Pattan, Amla, Multai blocks) to improve their access to health services under NRHM programs.

From Monitoring to Empowerment through Health Action Groups (HAGs)

• 90 Health Action Groups (HAGs) formed in 120 villages.
• 1,350 women actively participated in monitoring health services and service providers.
• 2,500 women gained a better understanding of NRHM, maternal and child health services, and the roles of health workers.
• Improvements observed in the availability, quality, and behaviour of services at PHC, Sub-Health Centre, and CHC levels.
• Increased confidence in health services, leading to higher institutional deliveries, immunizations, and access to ANC/PNC services.

Impact on Maternal and Child Health

• Coordination with the health department for immunization of pregnant women and infants.
• Continuous support to reduce MMR and CMR.
• 32 women selected as ASHA workers, improving service quality and accessibility.

Health Awareness and Camp Organization

• 50 health camps organized.
• Awareness campaigns on anaemia, malnutrition, TB, malaria, diarrhoea, de-addiction, and HIV/AIDS.
• Wall paintings, rallies, workshops, and facilitation of timely treatment and hospitalization.

🔹 Working with HIV/AIDS and High-Risk Groups

• Targeted Intervention with NACO and MP State AIDS Control Society (2010–11).
• Worked on HIV prevention with 750 female sex workers (FSW) and men who have sex with men (MSM).
• Raised AIDS awareness among 7,000 villagers.
• Connected 670 high-risk women with safe living practices and government schemes.

Impact

➡️ Information, behaviour change, and protection were made key tools for HIV prevention.