The partnership focusses on:
- Providing technical assistance to strengthen and/or expand public health nutrition interventions targeted towards children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women
- Increasing the availability and strengthen the administration of vitamin A, multiple micronutrient supplements and deworming interventions
- Strengthening supply chain mechanism of vitamin A and deworming tablets
- Supporting capacity building of frontline workers in health and nutrition interventions
New Delhi : The Nagaland State Government announced its partnership with Vitamin Angels, an international not-for-profit organization, to help address issues of child malnutrition and mortality for children under 5 across the state of Nagaland. The announcement was made by Dr. I Talitemsula Jamir, Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Department of Health and Family Welfare, Nagaland.
Earlier in the year, the NHM and Vitamin Angels had signed an MoU wherein Vitamin Angels would provide the Nagaland Government with technical assistance to strengthen and/or expand public health nutrition interventions targeted towards children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women across the state. This includes increasing availability and strengthening the administration of vitamin A, multiple micronutrient supplements and deworming interventions; strengthening supply chain mechanism of vitamin A and deworming tablets; supporting capacity building of frontline workers in health and nutrition interventions; supporting monitoring of vitamin A and deworming interventions across the state; strengthening the Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition Programme (MIYCN) and deliver MMS to pregnant women across a few districts.
Nagaland has shown significant improvement in the nutritional status of young children over the last few decades. The NFHS 5 (2019-20) shows vitamin A coverage for children under 5 at 44.4%, a marked increase since NFHS 4 (2015-16), where the coverage stood at a mere 27.2% across districts. Kohima has shown the highest coverage of vitamin A in the state, with 76.8% coverage, higher than the optimal coverage level of 70% recommended by WHO. This is also a significant increase from its last recorded coverage in Kohima of 39% as per NFHS 4.
Vitamin Angels has been working in India since 2010, with grassroots organizations and State Governments to support the underserved and unreached with critical healthcare and nutrition services. Vitamin Angels started working with civil society organizations in Nagaland since 2011 and with the State Government of Nagaland since 2016, providing age-appropriate, colour coded, high-dose vitamin A capsules for children. Since 2018, Vitamin Angels has been the primary and sole partner for the state government in ensuring vitamin A supplementation for children under 5 across the state.
Mr. Sunish Jauhari, President, Vitamin Angels India, said, “Vitamin Angels strives to reach the most underserved and nutritionally vulnerable communities across the globe and in India. We are very grateful to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Nagaland for allowing us an opportunity to work with them in reaching the millions of children in the far-flung districts of the state. The MoU marks a milestone in our work with the government and we look forward to a strong collaboration in the future for positive impact on ground.”
Dr. Jamir expressed her gratitude for the positive work done by Vitamin Angels in the state and looks forward to more positive ventures with the new partnership.
The Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition or POSHAN Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission, is Government of India’s flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. Launched by the Prime Minister on the occasion of the International Women’s Day on 8 March, 2018 from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, the POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) Abhiyaan directs the attention of the country towards the problem of malnutrition and address it in a mission-mode.