Again, we cannot say thanks enough to AWC Mumbai for all their hard work in organizing this event, as well as the many generous sponsors who contributed and made this event possible!!

LINK: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/mauritania_62321.html

We are back with our monthly update for April 2012. April showed an increase of 80 new children and pregnant women registering for FMCH services, taking our total registered number of children and pregnant mothers to 751.

Although we saw a steady increase in people registering, we also saw a slow drop in clinic attendance, as the holiday and vacation season for schools has begun, a normal trend each year. The health team continues their home visits, and we continued with our cooking demos in both Ganesh and Ramdev Nagar, with a total of 10 new recipes to introduce!

The TISS interns which were visiting with FMCH and our community have submitted reports about their research regarding health and nutrition concerns in our communities. Many thanks to these students and to TISS for supplying FMCH with more helpful information and knowledge!

Heather Kingston and Libby Stewart have been helping to develop a new curriculum for our Mommy and Me class which should be finalized next month. Many thanks to Heather and Libby for their support and hard work!

The site team from FMCH took a ‘Reality Gives’ tour in the Dharavi communities, in hopes to expand their knowledge about other community health and nutrition needs in disadvantaged communities of Mumbai.

Our website continues to be in a re-structuring mode, but please check out www.fmch-india.org for more information and pictures about our latest activities and events!! Thank you always for your support!

A special discussion was held in Ramdev Nagar focusing on anemia and its effects. Mothers with children with very low hemoglobin counts were present at this discussion.

This month FMCH held its cooking classes and demos both on site, as well as within the community homes, helping us to further reach out to the communities. The home cooking demos have been received well, but the lack of space is always a bit of a constraint.

The site team attended a special session with our head doctor about malnutrition and its effects and impacts. In the month of March, our committee will also be taking part in a similar discussion to increase updated knowledge.

Finally, FMCH India has obtained a new office space very close to our clinic sites! Stay tuned for upcoming pictures!

Many thanks for the continued interest and support for FMCH India!!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Superpower-230-million-Indians-go-hungry-daily/articleshow/11494502.cms?intenttarget=no

Tackling malnutrition in innovative ways. Every day.

The Foundation for Mother and Child Health (FMCH) is founded on the
premise that children have the right to a healthy childhood to ensure that they are able to reach their full potential.

FMCH focuses on encouraging Early Preventive Health and Balanced
Nutrition practices within economically disadvantaged communities in Mumbai through planned interventions and access to free healthcare services.

Upon partnering with FMCH through the Standard Chartered Mumbai
Marathon (SCMM) 2012, the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC), DSB International School (Deutsche Schule Bombay)
and numerous dedicated individuals are helping FMCH achieve its goal.

The IGCC has graciously enrolled 116 of their team and trainees for
FMCH’s dream run! We are excited to see such a large group come together for FMCH in their Germany-India year 2011-12. T-Shirts and individual fundraising are an additional way in which IGCC is providing assistance for the marathon.

The DSB International School has two faculty members running the
half marathon and eight members walking the Dream Run for FMCH. This team has pledged to raise funds for FMCH as well! Their positive presence and encouragement will truly help FMCH make a significant mark at the SCMM this year.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our greatest, heartfelt
thanks to both the members of the IGCC and DSB groups who are assisting FMCH with the 2012 SCMM, as well as to the various dedicated individuals who have made a donation or contribution to our cause! With your optimistic presence, we at FMCH, endeavor to increase the impact of our services by reaching out to many more malnourished children.

To donate to FMCH, or to learn more about the SCMM this year,
please visit: http://unitedwaymumbai.org/ngo.php?
action=view_ngo&ngo_id=70.

To learn more about FMCH, please visit:

http://motherandchildhealth.wordpress.com/

Thanking you in advance!

This month, FMCH India reached the magic number of 500 through direct
services in the Dhobi ghat area. For the past few months, the team has been
witnessing an increasing inflow of families, who have started to come to the
clinic from other areas as well. In November, the clinics had more than 40
new patients, thus pushing the total number to 500 +!!! Of course, increased
numbers also mean increased responsibilities. The team continues to work
very hard to maintain the quality of services.

The month of November remained busy for the entire organization, with
intensive work both at the strategic level as well as on-site. In the first week
of November, the entire organization came together with the guidance and
facilitation of Atma, to delineate the organization’s goal for the next two years.
We thank Atma for their excellent expertise and support, which has helped
FMCH determine the directions that we take, and the goals we intend to
actualize in the next two years.

On November 16th, FMCH India celebrated Children’s Day with the children
in our Seedling Class. The children enjoyed games and activities, as well as
some special treats to celebrate this exceptional day.

Last, the site team conducted a massive camp for typhoid vaccinations, which
spanned over 2 weeks. A total of 88 children were vaccinated in the Ramdev
Nagar and Ganesh Nagar communities.

As we move forward, we hope to reach out to other devoted individuals
who want to help us tackle malnutrition in India! Stay posted on
www.motherandchildhealth.wordpress.com. Thank you for your support.

Adjustments in clinic timings as well as regular community visits continue to
have a positive effect on the number of families for FMCH. As of now, FMCH is
catering to 460 pregnant women and children in the communities of Dhobi Ghat.

The month of October witnessed multiple activities and improvements at the
program level at FMCH. A special cooking class was organized for pregnant and
lactating mothers, where the team demonstrated protein-rich, iron-rich and
fiber-rich recipes.

Also, a rigorous and detailed Food Safety Protocol was developed and
implemented at the sites. This protocol will ensure maintaining safe-guards for
SNP preparation, IFP preparation and storage.

Internally, the team participated in an exclusive conflict-resolution workshop,
which helped the team understand and learn about simple measures to avoid
and resolve conflicts.

And of course, the whole team went out for a fun lunch to celebrate Diwali!!!

With so much happening on site and in the organizational strategies, everyone at
FMCH is excited about our current growths and increase in numbers! The month
of November is going to be full of planning for future, and we hope to bring you
our thoughts/plans and ambitions about FMCH real soon!!!

Stay updated on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/FoundationMotherChildhealth for these updates, as well as on our website at motherandchildhealth.wordpress.com. Thanks for your continued support and interest!

The in-flow of families in our clinic has increased and we had 59 new comers this month. Likewise, with two nutritionists on our team, the number of children counseled in nutrition (both on site, and on home visits), has increased significantly! We had 72 children counseled by the nutritionists this month.

The total number of women and children presently associated with our program amounts to 227 from Ganesh Nagar and the surrounding areas, and 157 in Ramdev Nagar and surrounding areas. Additionally, with 14 pregnant women associated with FMCH India’s programs, this makes for a total of 398 women and children from both Ramdev Nagar and Ganesh Nagar involved with FMCH India’s programs. In a small space, this is a rather large task! Good work by the team!

There was a new tasty addition to the Seedling class. Fresh fruit salad is now being served to the children in the class on a weekly basis to raise awareness on the importance of healthy snacking by the children as well as by the entire family.

In terms of our health programs, there is some positive, as well as unfortunate news. Here’s a little overview:

- The city of Mumbai and FMCH India’s communities experienced bouts of malaria as well as various viral infections and colds in September. The cold symptoms especially affected many newborns.

- 5 children were able to “graduate” from the health program at our Ganesh Nagar clinic, after the doctor felt they had improved significantly enough, and no longer needed to be part of the program.

In terms of our nutrition programs, here’s a little overview:

- The cooking demos are now based on age-specifics, which successfully enables the team to focus on individual mothers’ needs, and cater to specific child needs.

- The nutrition team has also developed a food-safety protocol for the site, which began implementation from October 2011 onwards.

- About 7% of the children visiting FMCH, are regularly taking the FMCH designed nutri-bars. Likewise, SNP, in the form of nutri-bars, is being given to all the pregnant/lactating mothers visiting our site.

Overall, FMCH India has been very busy expanding, evolving, improving, and planning. With so many elements that effect and impact the women, children and communities that we work with, we’ve experienced both rich and complex situations. There is much to be done, and every day we learn and grow a little.

If you would like to help us out in this cause, please spread the word about our organization and stay updated on this page for ways to help or contribute!