According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5, Odisha is one of the states which still have high levels of stunted and wasted children. The percentage of stunting children in Odisha is 31% and underweight children are 29.7%. The southern districts namely Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, and Raygada are the districts where the most children are severely affected malnourished (SAM). We are working to prevent childhood malnutrition, stunting and wasting in southern Odisha and providing quality health and nutrition services to tribal and other marginalised communities. We aim to improve the essential health and nutrition practices in the community by building knowledge, skills and motivation and creating an enabling environment in the villages. We are implementing a programme called Rural Creche Initiatives (RCI) to improve the nutritional outcomes and early childhood development of children aged between 7 months and 3 years. The creche is a community-based centre where parents leave their children when they go out for work. Children are scanned for malnutrition and those suffering from severe acute malnutrition are treated. Creches also cater for the needs of children by providing supplementary feeding, early stimulation, sleep and rest. It also supplements the efforts of ICDS and health including measuring the children’s mid-upper arm circumference and weight every month and measuring the height every four months to help monitor the progress, identification of growth faltering and severe malnutrition, referral to health facilities as per the protocols and follow-up after discharge. A monthly log and growth chart is maintained to evaluate and assess the nutritional status of the children. The creche provides daycare services for children for six hours a day six days a week.

Adolescents and youth face significant barriers that undermine their sexual and reproductive health and rights—including lack of access to comprehensive sexuality education and essential sexual and reproductive health services. Because of failures to enable and empower adolescents to access comprehensive reproductive health care including maternal health care, one in four adolescents in the four districts where we work has an unmet need for education on sexual and reproductive health. In addition, early pregnancy and childbearing pose unique risks to adolescents’ health and well-being. Enabling girls to make informed and autonomous decisions about their sexuality and reproductive health is critical for fulfilling their human rights and ensuring access to education, economic opportunities, social empowerment, and financial independence.

SOVA has been at the forefront of spearheading the initiatives to affirm girls’ autonomy, decision-making and access to sexual and reproductive rights and health services along with life skill education. We work to strengthen practices that ensure the human rights of girls and adolescents are respected, protected and fulfilled at the village and community level, and to seek justice when their rights are violated. A two-pronged approach is being used to implement sexuality education. Youth who are members of our adolescent and youth groups and child clubs are being delivered life skill education through training and capacity building in villages and panchayats, reaching children between the ages of 13-18. We provide accurate, age-appropriate and culturally relevant information regarding sexual health, gender, sexuality, communication skills, and navigating relationships. Other approaches have been to provide sexual health education to youths and counselling on menstrual behaviour, nutritional supplementation and peer education. Our strategies are focused on access to schooling which plays a great role in sexual health outcomes for youth and young adults. Our strategy for preventing early marriage, in particular, ensures continued access to schooling for youth, especially for girls. We help them to access high-quality education and provide economic and social support for families to help prevent child marriage. The livelihoods component sets up income-generating opportunities for youth along with training in employment-oriented skills and links them to micro-saving and credit groups.

National Family Health Survey – 5 revealed that access to maternal and newborn health services has increased in southern Odisha, even though there continues to be the challenge of accessing services. The need for strengthening of service delivery through the provision of updated clinical management protocols therefore has become more urgent so that a minimum standard of care is delivered to women during pregnancy and childbirth as well as to infants in the first few weeks of life. We aim to improve the health of women and their newborns in general and specifically contribute to the reduction in maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality.

We provide health education and counselling support to women groups for promoting safe motherhood in formal settings such as training and information sharing and informal settings such as organised community groups as well as community meetings. We collaborate with the government healthcare institutions at the block and district levels to address the health challenges collectively. We work closely with health institutions like CHC/PHC and district hospitals and service delivery personnel like ANM, ASHA, and Medical Doctors to support the implementation of national and state health programs such as immunization drives, maternal/child health initiatives and disease control efforts. We work to bridge the gaps in service delivery by reaching remote areas and providing support to strengthen the healthcare services where government infrastructure is limited. We also contribute valuable insights and experiences in policy development and implementation. We participate in task forces, committees and advisory groups. This ensures that the perspectives and needs of communities are represented in healthcare decision-making processes. We also act as advocates by leveraging our knowledge and experiences to influence policies that prioritize health equity, inclusivity and access for all. We organise training programs for healthcare professionals, contribute to innovation and assist in the implementation of quality improvement initiatives.