Environment |
Introduction Maintaining a healthy environment is central to improving quality of life and life expectancy. Our approach focuses on the environmental factors that decrease the likelihood of illness and death. |
Challenge
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Success Story |
Maternal health has a direct impact on newborn well being. Malnourished women often give birth to babies with a low birth weight (LBW). A single bout of diarrhea can cause LBW babies to suffer acute malnutrition. Therefore, it is very important that families have access to clean water, energy-dense nutritious food, and proper sanitation. Ekam detected a high incidence of iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women during prenatal visits at Chengalpattu Medical College. The Ekam staff then worked to develop a program to fight malnutrition using education and awareness camps to teach women how to grow their own vegetables. Ekam also provided land, seeds, and other resources. Once the community became aware of the value of good food and gained access to nutritious food, iron deficiency anemia levels declined. |