INDORE, MP, India, June 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Shri Mahendra Hardia, Honorable Health Minister, Madhya Pradesh graces the occasion along with other dignitaries from the State Government

In a span of just 2 years,  Project Kavach' - Child Health Programme has positively impacted over 4500 malnourished children of the Korku Tribe and has successfully recovered more than 1200 malnourished children.

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Glenmark Foundation reiterates its commitment to help reduce Child Mortality in its 100 adopted villages by focusing on Malnutrion, Immunization & Sanitation

INDORE, MP, INDIA: JUNE 26, 2013: Glenmark Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited has recently announced the impact of its 'Project Kavach' - Child Health Programme which was launched in early 2011 in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The impact report was presented in presence of Shri Mahendra Hardia, Honorable Health Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr. Sharad Pandit, Joint Director Health (Indore Division) and other dignitaries from the government along with stakeholders from the community. In the ceremony, Shri Mahendra Hardia along with Ms. Cheryl Pinto, Director Corporate Affairs - Glenmark felicitated 6 community members from the Korku tribe for their contributions in making this child health project a success in the state.

With an objective to reduce Child Mortality among the marginalized Korku tribe, the Foundation has adopted 100 villages in the Khalwa Block of Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh. In a span of just two years, Project Kavach has positively impacted over 4500 malnourished children of the Korku tribe and has successfully recovered more than 1200 malnourished children from severely acute malnourished stage to a healthy status category. The Project addresses core issues like Malnutrion, Immunization and Sanitation among children below the age of 6 years.

In this mission, Glenmark Foundation has been ably supported by local NGO - Spandan Samaj Sewa Samiti; as the two partners continue its thrust to make a greater difference in the lives of underprivileged women and children of the Korku tribe. The project is an effort to complement the State Government's commitment through the Atal Bal Poshan Mission formed with an objective of tackling the problems of malnutrition among children.

"Despite improvements in the recent past, high rate of infant and child mortality still remains a grave area of concern in India. Glenmark Foundation's 'Project Kavach - Healthier Children Healthier World' programme is aimed at protecting and saving children through various interventions."  said Ms. Cheryl Pinto, Director Corporate Affairs - Glenmark. " Today, as Project Kavach enters its third year in Madhya Pradesh, we are happy to announce that we have positively impacted the lives of several underprivileged women and children in the interior tribal areas of the state, where the incidence of childhood malnutrition and deaths are significantly higher as compared to other parts. We are confident that with the continued support of the Government of Madhya Pradesh and the local population, the Project will set transformation benchmarks in the years to come"; she added

Under Project Kavach, Glenmark Foundation conducts several activities with an aim to deal with malnutrition at the grass root level and encouraging wide community level participation. Early Tracking, Counseling, Community Awareness Initiatives, Medical Support and Regular Follow-ups of the indentified malnourished children are at the core of this programme.

Some Highlighting initiatives of Glenmark Foundation's Project Kavach in MP:

Ambulatory Care: The Foundation has provided for an Ambulance which reaches out to the remote forest based villages. A specialist team comprising of a Doctor, Nutritionist and Social Worker indentifies children with Severe Acute Malnourishment (SAM) condition who are than referred to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres. Over 2000 malnourished children have been positively impacted through this Ambulatory Care Service.

Role Model  Aanganwadis (Day Care Centres) for Children : Due to the efforts of the Foundation, 35 Anganwadis were converted into role model Anganwadis i.e. making the existing Day Care Centres in these villages more child friendly. This has significantly increased the attendance at these centers which has in turn helped in accessing health and nutritional needs of the children

Community Crèches: A new thrust area of the Project is to facilitate setting up of and managing community crèches as infants up to 3 years of age constitute the most vulnerable group as far as malnutrition is concerned. The Foundation has already piloted 3 such Community Crèches

Counseling of Pregnant Women:  Over 1800 pregnant women in these tribal villages have been provided counseling and assisted in accessing antenatal care and immunization

Moreover, the Foundation conducts Health Camps and several awareness initiatives using mediums like Street Plays and Puppet Shows which has helped in educating the local communities about the focus health issues

Now, as Project Kavach enters its third year in MP, Glenmark Foundation reiterates its commitment to help reduce Child Mortality in its 100 adopted villages by focusing on Malnutrion, Immunization & Sanitation through its partner Spandan Samaj Sewa Samiti.

About Glenmark Foundation

Instituted with the mission of 'Enriching Lives'; Glenmark Foundation is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited. The Foundation has been implementing several projects for the benefit of the underprivileged sections of the society under 3 core areas: Child Health (Flagship Programme), Sustainable Livelihoods and Employee Volunteering.

SOURCE Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd