Introduction
Nand Ghars are a transformative leap dedicated to benefit rural children and women in India. A measure undertaken by Vedanta under the Anil Agarwal Foundation Initiative, together with the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), the project aims to ensure that rural India is not left behind in India's march towards progress. The case for state-of-the-art Anganwadis in the form of Nand Ghars all over India has not merely arrived - it is now imperative
Mission
Nand Ghar is committed to the Prime Minister's national vision of eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare and empowering women with skill development.
Vision
Transforming the lives of 7 Cr children and 2 Cr women across 13.7 lakh Anganwadis in India through Nand Ghars, fulfilling Hon. Prime Minister's commitment towards Swacch Bharat, Beti Pachao Beti Padhao and Startup India by equipping Nand Ghars with televisions for e-learning, solar panels for reliable power, safe drinking water and clean toilets.
Today, our landmark modern Nand Ghars have shown a marked improvement in attendance, learning abilities and school readiness by deploying e-learning modules and playful learning for education, in collaboration with world class partners.
In order to make the model integrated, Nand Ghars are ensuring that women undergo entrepreneurship training, including skill enhancement to start their own micro enterprise with extensive skill training and credit linkages, thereby increasing their contribution towards the Indian economy. Nand Ghars, thus, have an excellent opportunity to transform the lives of over millions of women and children in the coming years.
Infrastructure
The state-of-art technology and infrastructure makes Nand Ghar a model resource centre for the community. Some of the key features are:
- Green Field Model : Constructed using latest Schnell technology which is earthquake resistant and fireproof.
- Brown Field Model: Renovate and redesign existing Anganwadi structures and convert them into Nand Ghars
- Solar Panels : 24 x 7 electricity for essential facilities
- Toilets : For healthy sanitation and inculcating behavioural changes
- Smart TV: E Learning through 40 weeks of scientific curriculum for children
- Water Purifiers : Access to safe drinking water
- Education Materials: Smart Kits to support linguistic, cognitive, motor skills, etc.
Operations
The infrastructure is being utilized in the morning for children's education and nutrition and in the afternoon for skill development of women. The Nand Ghar centre daily provides:
- Pre-school education to children (3-6 years) through e-learning, BaLA designs and smart kits
- Nutritious hot cooked meals to children, pregnant and lactating women and strengthen the existing Government systems of service delivery
- Healthcare through Mobile Health Van and conducting health camps. Ensure accessibility to specialised doctors through Tele-Consultancy model
- Women empowerment through skill training, credit linkage and entrepreneurship development
Other activities centred around Nand Ghars include:
- Mobilising various community engagement activities such as VHSNC meetings, Immunisation and vaccination, parent teacher meetings, etc.
- Systemic strengthening of government run initiatives by supporting ICDS and other departments
- Engaging important members of the community in the activities of the Nand Ghar through Nand Ghar Committees, Women's Groups, Youth Clubs, etc. to inculcate community ownership
- Development of 'Poshan Vatikas' at Nand Ghars to ensure nutritious food to children and 'Grih Vatikas' to promote community - level nutrition
- Partnerships and convergences with national as well as local agencies in different geographies to bring in expert knowledge on the field
Impact
Today more than 3000 Nand Ghars are running across 12 states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Goa, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Odisha are a testimony to our commitment of constructing 4000 centres.
The Impact is paving way for a Model Anganwadi movement across the country.
- Aiming to provide around 120000 children with pre-school learning through advanced teaching learning methodologies including television
- Aiming to support nutritional needs of about 120000 children and eradicate malnutrition
- Around 10,000 OPDs are being conducted per month for community by Nand Ghar Mobile Health Vans and mobilise best-in-class health care through an integrated healthcare model with MHVs, Telemedicine service & paramedic on wheels facility
- Aiming for around 48,000 women to be trained to achieve financial and social empowerment through gainful employment
COVID Relief
a.EDUCATION
- IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System) for education launched to support uninterrupted education in the Nand Ghar villages
- Partnership with the Government machinery to provide education content through WhatsApp
- Provide activity sheets and other materials to promote home-based learning
b.HEALTH
- Online hand wash demonstrations are being given to parents and children through virtual mode
- More than 1 lac Masks and sanitizers distributed across geographies
- Free Tele-consultancy through health partners have been launched across various geographies
- The Nand Ghar teams are also supporting the beneficiaries in registration for COVID - 19 vaccination
- Nand Ghars being utilised as COVID Testing and Vaccination Centres
- Nand Ghars used as Quarantine Centres for COVID patients
- Ongoing sanitisation of Nand Ghars and villages
c.NUTRITION
- Distribution of fruits and vegetables grown in the Nand Ghar Nutrition Gardens
- Support in THR/Dry Ration Distribution
- Virtual Awareness Sessions on nutrition with the beneficiaries
d.SKILLS AND SCHEME LINKAGE
- Support women beneficiaries through market linkage and micro-credit
- Linkage to government schemes to support their livelihood
Reach
The Nand Ghar Project aims to touch lives of around 4 Million community members while directly impacting around 1,60,000 children and around 1,80,000 women on an annual basis..
We are planning to construct 4000 Nand Ghars by September 2022.
| Impact Indicators |
Number |
Details |
| Total Nand Ghars |
4,000 |
Total Nand Ghars in 11 States |
| Children - 0-6 years |
1,60,000 |
Expected 40 children per Nand Ghar |
| Maternal Health |
60,000 |
Expected 15 women per Nand Ghar |
| Community Health |
4,000,000 |
1000 people per Nand Ghar |
| Women Empowerment |
120,000 |
Expected 30 women trained per Nand Ghar |
| Safe drinking water(total water purifiers) |
4,000 |
One water purifier per Nand Ghar |
| Environment (Renewable energy (kW) through solar power) |
3,000 |
Total 0.75 KWs of solar power generated per Nand Ghar |
Conclusion
Several Nand Ghars across the country are already transforming and uplifting communities gradually, narrowing the divide between urban and rural India. Vedanta is undertaking a first of its kind partnership with the government to deliver sustainable and measurable social good on as large a scale in eleven states across India.
Compelling enough as the scale of the project is, it promises to have a positive domino effect, with efforts from Vedanta and active community involvementCompelling enough as the scale of the project is, it promises to have a positive domino effect, with efforts from Vedanta and active community involvement in critical areas of healthcare, education and women empowerment in rural India.
And yet, if India is to reduce the divide between rural India and progressive India by any marked degree, we must continue to strive to reduce the disparity in opportunities between urban and rural areas as a nation. Project Nand Ghar hopes to do this, and more.
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