Bhubaneshwar, Odisha  – Project CLAN is a pioneering project in Kandhamal district in tribal Odisha that demonstrates the power of women’s leadership in bridging critical nutritional gaps, with the potential for replication across regions facing similar challenges. The project is a collaboration between Vitamin Angels India and Kandhamal Zilla Sabuja Vaidya Sangathan (KZSVS) and empowers women leaders, known as ‘Poshan Ma-elis’, to spearhead a nutritional revolution in their communities.

Piloted across 79 households in the three villages of Kanjumaha, Padami, and Tembuli, the project addresses the core issues of low nutritional understanding and limited diet diversity by mobilizing community groups, facilitating access to government nutrition programs, and promoting the consumption of nutritious food from local forests and community kitchen gardens. This strategy has led to significant improvements in dietary practices and increased awareness of nutrition among vulnerable populations.

Animesh Rai, Senior Manager, Implementation Science, Vitamin Angels India, highlights the initiative’s impact and its scalability: “The transformation we’ve witnessed in Daringbadi block in Kandhamal is not just a testament to the strength and resilience of our women leaders but also underlines the potential of this model to be replicated in other regions. By empowering communities from within, we can address undernutrition in a sustainable and impactful way. Vitamin Angels India and its partners are committed to expanding the learnings from this model to other regions, aiming to create a ripple effect of nutritional awareness and improved health outcomes across tribal Odisha and beyond.”

Key nutritional indicators from NFHS-5 underscore the challenges in Kandhamal district, with significant rates of stunting, wasting, underweight children, and anemia among women​​. The project’s approach to tackling these issues through community-led initiatives and the leadership of ‘Poshan Ma-eli’ has proven effective, showcasing a successful model of nutritional intervention.  While the Anemia Mukt Bharat program, a flagship program of the Government of India refers to three Ts, Test, Treat, and Talk as its core pillars, it also looks at an Intensified year-round behavior change communication campaign (Solid Body, Smart Mind) to play a vital role in increasing awareness around anemia and nutrition in the community.  The CLAN project has been designed in line with Government programs and has also adopted POSHAN Abhiyan’s principles to provide tailored nutrition counseling to help inculcate nutrition-centric behavior among households.

The CLAN project has also been extensively supported by the public health system and ICDS service delivery through its frontline workers like ASHAs, ANMs, and Anganwadi workers. Working hand-in-hand with the Poshan Ma-elis, the support of frontline workers has led to increased coverage of services like increased awareness and knowledge on nutrition,  the nutrition programs of the government and its benefits, increased uptake and consumption of IFAs, consumption of nutritious food leading to diet diversity, intensified counseling for severely anemic women, their treatment and follow-up. The Poshan Ma-elis acted as a catalyst between the community and the front-line workers, which helped front-line workers intensify the service delivery in these villages and adopt a need-based approach to service delivery.

The agriculture department’s support in imparting knowledge and supporting the community on farming nutritious vegetables and fruits based on season, soil condition, and without pesticides helped the community to adopt organic and safe farming practices in their community kitchen farms without compromising the nutritional value of vegetables. This initiative led to an increase in the availability of seasonal vegetables, making it affordable for the community to produce these vegetables and making them part of their diet.

Talking about the project, Dinabandhu Maharana, Chief Functionary, KZSVS said, “Project CLAN exemplifies the transformative power of women’s leadership in addressing nutritional challenges. Through the dedication of ‘Poshan Ma-eli’ and strategic collaboration, this initiative in tribal Odisha not only improves immediate health outcomes but also establishes a scalable model for community-led action. By empowering women as agents of change, we pave the way for sustainable nutritional transformation in regions facing similar obstacles.”

CLAN not only aims to improve the immediate health outcomes of women and children but also  build a scalable model that can be adapted to similar contexts. The empowerment of women as leaders and educators in nutrition underscores the critical role they play in driving community health improvements. By mobilizing community groups and establishing community kitchen gardens, the project ensures sustainable sources of nutritious food. The engagement of women leaders in these activities not only empowers them but also ensures the longevity and effectiveness of the nutritional interventions.

The success of the initiative in Daringbadi sets a precedent for community-led nutrition programs, highlighting the potential of women leaders in transforming the health landscape of their communities. While community awareness and engagement in nutrition is the key to the success of such programs and initiatives, these initiatives become doubly effective, impactful, and sustainable when complemented by the government’s programs and service delivery mechanisms.