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Vision: A malnutrition free India.
Mission: Contribute to every child’s right to Nutrition and Growth by implementing sustainable, replicable programs, pursuing product innovation and research, addressing core and allied causes for malnutrition and assuming responsibility for the nourishment and vitality of the community.
The BNF programs seek to address malnutrition through a multi-pronged approach that works at the anganwadi center, at the school and at the community level. The program interventions are targeted at not just the undernourished children but the entire ecosystem in which they grow up, with the foresight to address the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition and create a lasting impact.
Britannia Nutrition Foundation (BNF) was set up in 2010 with a vision to help address malnutrition. BNF works extensively with the district and block level authorities, Anganwadi and health workers and in collaboration with ICDS, health, education and Krishi Vigyan Kendra. We work on a hybrid model of implementation- direct implementation and with local partners.
Today, BNF is working in 8 states in India, covering more than 400 villages and slums. We are currently operational in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand & Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra & Assam.
Key Program Inventions
1.Improving Health & Nutrition
We are ensuring adequate nutrition for communities, by:
- Establishing nutrition gardens.
- Providing additional nutrition supplements to undernourished children and adolescents.
- Improving existing knowledge & practices related to health and nutrition.
2.Community Engagement
We aim to maximize our impact on the collective, through:
- Community integration & awareness building activities, designed to increase participation towards prevention & management of malnutrition
3. Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
We are addressing key contributing factors to malnutrition by:
- Improving awareness of WASH practices through behavioural change related activities.
4. Strengthening Service Access & Delivery
We ensure quality service is delivered through:
- Capacity building of frontline service providers.
- Convergence of health & ICDS to improve service delivery & coverage.
5. Empowering Community Nutrition Volunteers (Suposhan Sakhis)
We are empowering community women in various villages to sustain the nutrition impact and to play an instrumental role in making their community free from malnutrition by:
- Reinforcing messages aimed to bring positive behavioural change.
- Regular home visits & follow-ups.
6. Monitoring & Assessment
We have designed quantifiable measures to provide information on the progress of the ongoing assessed initiatives by:
- Leveraging program management data & insights along with the continuous improvements.
Case Study of Kartik Adivasi
Jamunia village made free of malnutrition
Case Study of Kartik Adivasi
Acute malnutrition among sahariyas, a particularly vulnerable tribal group, is very high due to crushing poverty, lack of diet and practices such as delayed breastfeeding, premature pregnancies and seasonal migration and it is continuing to take away lives of children.
One such child is a 2 years old Kartik Adivasi, who as a result of the timely intervention was pulled out of the clutches of malnutrition. He was so weak that his parents thought he would die.
The BNF trained women volunteer (Suposhan Sakhi) first identified Kartik and immediately informed the BNF team and the anganwadi and health worker, who then counselled Kartika’s parents to admit him to the nearest Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) for medical treatment. After 2 weeks of him getting discharged from the NRC, the BNF team along with Suposhan Sakhi and health workers provided necessary support in the form of supplementary nutrition, hygiene kit, medicines, regular home visits and counselling to parents on appropriate health, hygiene and nutrition practices.
As a result of the concerted efforts, Kartik’s life was saved and he is now out of malnutrition.
The Sahariya tribe is one among the PVTGs (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) living in geographically isolated locations, working mainly as agriculture labourers and other labour work with very low socio-economic living conditions. Because of unawareness they are also unable to take advantage of the govt. schemes. BNF is working with the Sahariya community in Gwalior and Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh state.
