very interesting model
India’s demographic dividend is often touted as one of the country’s strengths. More than half of its 1.2 billion population is younger than 25. In the coming decades, India is expected to be one of the few countries where the working population will exceed the number of retirees. Even so, India is struggling with a huge problem: The country has the world’s largest population of malnourished children. Each day, some 1,500 children die of malnutrition. A government report, titled Children in India 2012 — A Statistical Appraisal, notes: “48% of children under age five years are stunted … which indicates that half of the country’s children are chronically malnourished.” According to UNICEF, one in three malnourished children in the world is Indian. It is estimated that reducing malnutrition could add some 3% to India’s GDP.
The Indian government has been trying to address this problem through its Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program. Launched in 1975, the ICDS operates a network of daycare centers called anganwadis across the country. These centers are meant to provide supplementary breakfast and lunch, along with immunizations and pre-school education, to children ages 3-6, and cater to the health needs of pregnant and lactating women. Anganwadi workers are also responsible for going door-to-door to counsel mothers with infants aged less than 3 years. Some 1.3 million anganwadi centers sprawl across India; each typically caters to 30 children.
The anganwadi program is estimated to be the world’s largest child nutrition provider. But, as the state of malnourishment in India shows, the anganwadis themselves need a shot in the arm. That is what Indian Impact, an online platform that focuses exclusively on malnutrition, is looking to provide. Launched in November 2013, the Hyderabad-based nonprofit has a two-pronged approach. It offers individuals and corporations an easy way to help improve their nearest anganwadi center, and supports nongovernmental organizations (NGO) that are working to reduce malnutrition.
Bridging the Gap
Indian Impact lists the anganwadis in a given area and a checklist of essential items that each center needs. Individuals or businesses can go to the Indian Impact website, locate their nearest anganwadi center, see what it needs and make donations (only in kind) directly to the centers. Donors are required to share the details of their donations with Indian Impact, so members and volunteers can ensure that donated items are used for the benefit of the children and not pilfered.
Donors registered with Indian Impact can also adopt anganwadi centers and fulfill all of their requirements. In addition, Indian Impact has partnered with the Akshaya Patra Foundation, which runs centralized kitchens and distributes nutritious meals to government schools. Organizations can partner with Akshaya Patra through Indian Impact to distribute meals to their adopted anganwadi centers. At present, anganwadis listed by Indian Impact are limited to Hyderabad. In a year, once it has sufficient understanding of this space, Indian Impact plans to expand beyond Hyderabad to other cities and states. Indian Impact has obtained formal approval for anganwadi adoption from the state government’s department of women development and child welfare in Andhra Pradesh. Once it expands to other states, the organization plans to get approvals from other state governments as well.
Indian Impact also selects and lists on its website reputed NGOs that are doing effective and innovative work to reduce malnutrition, but need funds and manpower in order to scale. Individuals and corporations can donate funds or volunteer their services for any of these projects. NGOs are required to send regular status reports to their donors and also provide proof of utilization to the Indian Impact team.
“We are providing a go-to-market platform that gives instant results, as well as significant outreach,” says Ridhima Parvathaneni, president of Indian Impact. Parvathaneni first thought of working in the sector during her last year at college in March 2013 when she read an article on the alarming levels of malnutrition in India. She wanted to develop “an innovative solution to generate awareness [about malnutrition] and to bridge the crucial gap between those who want to help and those who are in dire need of that help.”
She put together a six-person leadership team with capabilities in different areas, including strategy, research, marketing, branding and web-development, and launched Indian Impact that November. Apart from this core team of six, who are involved with the strategy and creative aspects of the organization, Indian Impact has a monitoring team of 20.
Parvathaneni has also involved her family business, the Seaways Group — one of the largest shipping and logistics conglomerates in India — where she heads new business initiatives, to fund Indian Impact as part of its corporate social responsibility. “One could have chosen the traditional NGO approach, where you work on the ground in a specific locality,” she notes. “But the impact [would be] limited. The situation calls for a solution that will accelerate and magnify the rate of malnutrition reduction. Such a compounding effect is possible through our technological platform.”
Partnering for a Cause
Nilam Sawhney, principal secretary at the department for women, children, disabled and senior citizens for the government of Andhra Pradesh, is upbeat about the initiative. The department has formed a committee to assist firms adopting anganwadis through Indian Impact to help expedite the process, and also track adoption and the consequent improvement. According to Sawhney, this collaboration between her department, Indian Impact and corporations in India “will help create model anganwadis” that can be replicated across the region “for higher efficiency and success rate in reducing malnutrition.”
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According to Rao, it is important for Parvathaneni and her team to understand the dynamics of the anganwadi system and why it has failed to deliver. Speaking at the launch, he noted that the anganwadi program is “highly politicized and highly unionized.” Pointing out that “in most of the states, the anganwadi jobs are auctioned,” Rao cautioned: “The union will not brook any interference. You have to be very careful.” Tata added: “Other than identifying what needs to be done, Indian Impact must get more deeply involved in the implementation of the solution.”
anantjani.com 