Date:15/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/15/stories/2008121558070300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

NGO holds nutrition camp

Staff Reporter

Doctors also speak on the importance of girl-child to society

VISAKHAPATNAM: Suraksha, an NGO working to reduce child malnutrition and for protection of the girl-child, on Sunday organized a medical and nutrition camp at Indira Nagar for 75 Dalit families.

Suraksha’s honorary panel of paediatricians including P. Venugopal Rao, Chief Pediatrician of the KGH, Pallavi, Veereshwar, Chandramouli and Vijaya Bhaskar examined 60 children and helped complete their medical cards with their medical condition. The prescribed medicines were dispensed. The children and their mothers were given tips about nutrition and cleanliness. The doctors also spoke about the importance of girl-child to society, according to founder-president of Suraksha Raj Gorla.

All the children were supplied high-nutrient laddus made of powdered groundnuts, ragi and jaggery.

The laddus contain essential nutrients that provide proteins, iron and calcium. Each of the kids has also been assigned one volunteer who will not only oversee their nutrition programme but will also interface with the panel of doctors in case of any medical problem.

There are several malnourished children, especially in one to three years age category. A few serious medical cases were immediately referred to specialists, Mr Raj Gorla said. A nutrition camp would be held every fortnight and their progress and medical conditions continuously updated, says Mr. Raj Gorla.

ICDS help

‘Suraksha’ has selected Indiranagar after analyzing a few slums in the city with the help of the ICDS.

The few employed men are daily labourers who waste their hard-earned money on alcohol. Most of the women work as domestic help and take care of the families’ needs. An initial survey revealed that a significant percentage of the 60 children below the age of five years were under-nourished and/or sick. All of them were given "Suraksha" Medical Cards that contain, among other things, height-weight ratio and medical history.

Raj Gorla who has volunteered for Human Rights Watch in New York for the last six years established Bala Suraksha Welfare Society, ‘Suraksha,’ in December 2008 in Visakhapatnam to specifically work for malnourished children and for the "Protection of Girl Child".

He consulted WHO and Human Rights Watch and ICDS before starting the project.