Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action (SNEHA) has partnered with local Ganesh mandals across Mumbai and Thane to maximise the public outreach for its campaign 'Jung Against Junk'.
As the name suggests, the drive focuses on the importance of a nutritious diet and ill-effects of junk food. With its initiative of collaborating with Ganesh mandals, the NGO aims to reach 7,500 families across both the districts.
Currently, it has partnered with more than 12 Ganesh Mandals in Dharavi, Kandivali and Kalwa apart from joining forces with community-based neighbourhood schools in Wadala and M-East ward, which covers areas like Mankhurd, Deonar, etc.
To spread a word about the drive, NGO volunteers will hold street plays and present nutrition facts near Ganesh pandals. Dr Rama Shyam, SNEHA programme director said, “In our recent survey, we found that 59% of adolescents had inadequate dietary diversity. While their consumption of food grains and pulses was high, intake of leafy green vegetables was comparatively low.” This festival is an opportune time to reach out to the community and highlight the importance of a healthy diet, Dr Shyam added.
In the survey, the NGO found that the number of underweight adolescents reduced from 34% to 31%. The findings suggested that the knowledge about anaemia has improved from 20% to 79%.
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