I am Dr. Nilambari Salunkhe. I was born and raised in Mumbai. I completed my degree in Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery from MUHS, Nashik University followed by Masters in Healthcare Management. Over the last decade I worked extensively in private as well as public health systems with a focus on healthcare administration.

Through my work, I was able to learn about implementation of national health programs at the grassroots as well as at policy level. I was able to closely observe results of effective implementation of well-designed health programs in rural health set up especially under reproductive, maternal, child health and adolescent health programs.

In June 2019, I joined Action against hunger as Program Manager for the malnutrition treatment and prevention projects in the urban slums of Mumbai. In this job, for the first time I got the opportunity to work closely with urban healthcare delivery system. We work in close collaboration with Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and Public Health Department of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai in the slums of Govandi and Andheri. Moreover, we are working on a unique program – POSHAN OPDs which involves capacity building of hospitals in Mumbai for malnutrition treatment protocols.

Working with marginalized sections of society in urban areas is an entirely new experience for me. Understanding their needs, socio – economic issues in an urban setting has been quite a learning curve. During the COVID 19 pandemic we worked hard as a team to provide food supplies and psychosocial support to vulnerable families and sanitation and PPE kits to Police department, ICDS department, MCGM and major hospitals in Mumbai.

My journey here continues to help enhance my knowledge in the field of urban malnutrition maternal and child health. In the future I wish to work on similar programs in urban slums of various metropolitan cities of India.

For 25-year-old Asma Sayyed, her pregnancy had taken quite a toll on her health even as she and her husband Ghulam Moinuddin were struggling with the economic impact the pandemic had on their lives. Before the pandemic hit, Moinuddin had a small factory setup where he and his workers embroidered dresses and frocks. He was forced to close it down and wait for things to improve.

During the first wave, Asma was pregnant with her 3rd child and the financial hardship couldn’t have come at a worse time. Asma was enlisted in Action Against Hunger’s First 1000 Days of Life project in the slums of Govandi during a routine survey in February 2020. At that time, she was nursing 5-month-old Nimra. She received counseling on breastfeeding, complementary feeding and other critical child-care practices. Moinuddin in the meantime started making fabric masks at home to support the family, barely manage to make ends meet.

When Asma turned pregnant in March 2020, she received support from Action Against Hunger mobilizers on pregnancy care, seeking ANC services, medical checkups and birth preparation. But it was easier said than done. With barely any income, her nutritional intake was affected and health services weren’t consistently available because of the lockdown. She received medicines and medical based support from another humanitarian organization working in Mumbai while Action Against Hunger supplied dry rations through food baskets and kept in touch with her though phone-based counseling sessions.

“It was only due to the constant support and follow up from the Action Against Hunger community mobilisers, that I was able to gain better knowledge on how I should deal with the issues post pregnancy, what I should eat so that my health remains good,” Asma said.

As restrictions eased, Moinuddin’s brother was able to restart work as an auto driver and contribute to the family income. Their 3rd daughter, Ayat was born healthy in November 2020 and has since been thriving. The only hiccup, she was born with a heart defect. Fortunately it was diagnosed as a treatable condition and Asma and Moinuddin are able to save money and provide for her treatment.

Image credits – Sudharak Olwe

In all folklores, there’s always someone who stands up in times of need, bends the story arc and is celebrated as the hero. 3 year old Aasu from Palghar found her hero and her light, both literally and metaphorically, in her own sister, Roshni.

Aasu’s mother passed away when she was 1 and with her father away for contractual labour most of the times, the burden of caring for Aasu and her 4 siblings fell on their grandparents. As a grandparent, taking care of 5 children and their nutritional needs could be quite a task and soon, Aasu became malnourished. She was diagnosed during a routine screening in her village in November 2018. We advised the family to get her enrolled in the malnutrition treatment program and bring her over to the weekly OTC’s. With the grandparents hard pressed between running the household and taking care of the children, Aasu’s 10 year old elder sister Roshni, took it upon herself to get her treated and save her life.

Roshni would bring Aasu to the OTC every week. She learned to take care of her nutritional needs, maintaining a clean environment, purifying drinking water and identifying common diseases. Every day she’d get up in the morning, fetch water, fix a nutrionally wholesome meal and take care of her 4 sisters. Between all this, she also found time to play her favourite game, Langdi. It was through Roshni’s efforts that Aasu recovered completely in December 2018 and continues to be healthy. It isn’t a surprise that Aasu and Roshni are inseparable.

Often for the hero, bending the story arc comes at a cost. Roshni had to drop out of school and missed out on her education. But if there’s one thing that we’ve learnt about Roshni, it is that she isn’t someone who’d give up easily. She plans to go back to school soon and become a doctor when she grows up. And not only that, she is going to ensure that all her sisters too go to school. A tall ask for a 10 year old? Yes. But Roshni is already quite adept at forging her own path once she as decided where to go.

Sangeeta Ghodeswar, a community mobiliser from Govandi, Mumbai and in her mid-thirties, is a single mother dealing with the anxiety and stress that comes along with the pandemic. She single-handedly manages her household and the upbringing of her daughter who is currently pursuing her primary online classes.

The pandemic has affected her mental health she says and has made her more anxious than before. She gets anxious every time she is out of the house and is very cautious in following protocols. Although this experience and the responsibility of being a mother is what drives her to keep doing what she does – work with mothers on raising healthy children and providing them emotional support.

During the lockdown, she continued to counsel mothers through phone-based sessions Reaching out to pregnant & lactating mothers and parents of children aged below 5 years on telephone, she would discuss maternal and child health, nutrition, precautions during COVID-19, availing health services and much more. She was able to connect with families physically during dry ration distribution drives and gradually as restrictions eased. Venturing out was not an easy task by any means, but Sangeeta dealt with her fears by following protocols and the realization that she is in a position to help out families in need, drove her every day.

She gradually worked out a routine to make time for herself and deal with the anxiety of being at home during a pandemic. “At home I spent time learning new nutritious recipes and being with my children. We would often work together on various school activities and tried to make the best of staying at home” says Sangeeta.