Save the Children Launches Digital Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre

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In India, 48% children under the age of 5 are malnourished, about 7 million of whom suffer from severe acute malnutrition. The Prime Minister called this a "national shame'',which needs to be tackled on an urgent basis. To fight this silent epidemic, Save the Children has now launched a Digital Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre which provides all of us a chance to contribute to tackle malnutrition among some of the poorest and most marginalised infants, in some of the hardest to reach corners of India, thus saving precious lives. Every year, nearly 1.7 million children die because of illnesses that are easily preventable and under nutrition is the underlying cause for about a third of these deaths. Malnutrition stunts physical, mental and cognitive growth and makes children more susceptible to illnesses. This innovative initiative is part of a larger national effort to ensure quality health care and nutrition for some of India's poorest and most marginalised children.

Supporting an initiative to save the lives of children and provide quality care and nutrition has never been easier. All one has to do is visit the digital centre at http://nutrition.savethechildren.in.

"Many children die due to malnutrition. I support #SavetheChildrenIndia to give them a better chance at life http://bit.ly/VJPitk" tweeted actor Parineeti Chopra, an Ambassador for Save the Children.

Actress Minissha Lamba said, "A weak child leads to a weak nation. Support #SavetheChildrenIndia to strengthen our future and fight #malnutrition http://bit.ly/VJPitk".

The digital centre simulates the experience of being inside an ideal and child-friendly NRC.

Visitors can browse through the portal's content to familiarise themselves with the needs of these babies and infants and choose how to contribute. The digital centre provides an opportunity to visit the different sections of NRC like the Counselling Room, Out Patient Department and Medical Ward.

The visitors can browse the digital centre and buy items, for example, digital thermometer for Rs.150, nutrition supplements for Rs.100, or even sponsor a doctor for Rs.25,000. To create an appropriate environment that is safe for and appeals to children, contributors can also fund walls of the NRC to be painted with bright colours (Rs.6,000), a TV set and a DVD player for training purposes as well as edutainment of mothers and children (Rs.3,500), and toilets that are appropriately designed for children (Rs.11,000). Alternately, they can also make a quick donation. "With support from donations on the digital centre, we want to create a model NRC that treats children for malnutrition but also provides a stimulating environment conducive to young children. We are working with the government in these states and it is our hope that the government can then scale-up this model and replicate in all NRCs," informs Thomas Chandy, CEO of Save the Children.

A number of NRCs are already operational in states with the highest number of SAM cases, including Jharkhand, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh; other states are also setting up NRCs in selected districts and blocks. But NRCs face two major challenges which are that the staff is not adequately trained to manage children suffering from malnutrition, and that the centres do not have adequate infrastructure and are not child-friendly. This money will enable strengthening of the 5 NRCs in Jharkhand and Rajasthan providing them with the necessary health, nutrition and education-oriented equipment, as well as materials that would provide the children with a stimulating and safe environment that is conducive to child development.

Join Save the Children in the battle against malnutrition, visit the digital centre at http://nutrition.savethechildren.in and help to save a child's life today.

About Save the Children

In India, Save the Children works on Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) in select areas in Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. CSAM cases with complications are referred to NRCs. The organisation runs Feeding Centres, Mobile Health Units and guides health workers, to provide nutritional support to marginalised children, mothers and pregnant women. For more information please visit www.savethechildren.in