Reproductive and Child Health

In the marginalized area like Kutch , communities , specially women, face harsh environmental conditions , coupled with social taboos/ which forbid small family norms is taking its toll on women’s health. Increasing anemia, reducing levels of nutrition, maternal morbidity and a continuing high IMR are the more visible reasons for KMVS to work on women’s or reproductive health. We believe there fore that:

•  Women’s health must be of primary concern, given the fact that the inevitability of her biological duties is often the source of her social and economic vulnerability. For them ,to overcome this social / economic vulnerability. It is imperative that they perform their biological role in more human conditions, with more information and greater control of their bodies.
•  By addressing themselves to concerns regarding their health , women would be better equipped to lead themselves , families , and their communities towards a more sustainable form of economic , social and ecological development.
•  We believe it is critical that women are oriented and trained to take up the issues of health First , at their levels and then at the community level. They have demonstrated here as elsewhere, that once motivated , they have the ability to take very determined stands vis-à-vis their health, health of their community and right to facilities.

KMVS’s Health programme’s objectives:

•  Rural women’s concern , knowledge and control over-

1. Contraception / birth control/ family size
2.  Their pregnancy.
3.  Delivery of their children.
4.  Post natal care , and
5.  Their rights vis-à-vis government facilities, increases to the level of improving their health, and also influencing their communities by practice, knowledge, or self managed facilities.

•  The extremely high infant mortality rate in Kutch and higher rates in KMVS project areas , is reduced, through training and access to facilities.
•  Informed and trained women from these areas reach a position where they can independently coordinate with the Government health department , Primary health care centres and ensure that they perform their mandated duties such as immunization. the objective is to create an informed empowered health lobby from with in.
•  Young , adolescent girls in the age of 13-20 become aware of the reproductive system , safe methods of contraception, and develop the confidence to discuss these after marriage with their husbands.
•  Male members , especially young men, are made aware of the reproductive system , the natural cycle of birth control and the effects of the multiple births in quick succession on the female body/ uterus.
•  To halt the indiscriminate use and strong influx of allopathic drugs / antibiotics even amongst the children and the mildly ill disposed by the traditional medicines, and increase awareness of scientific methods of diagnosis-often not practiced by private doctors of this area.