Useful portals on Mother and Child Health

Rehydration Project

Diarrhoea causes dehydration. Children are more likely than adults to die from diarrhoea because they become dehydrated more quickly. Diarrhoea is also a major cause of child malnutrition. The main causes of diarrhoea are poor hygiene, lack of clean drinking water, overcrowding, and the trend towards bottle-feeding rather than breastfeeding. Infants who are fed only breastmilk seldom get diarrhoea. Diarrhoea can be prevented by breastfeeding, by immunizing all children against measles, by using latrines, by keeping food and water clean, and by washing hands before touching food.

To know more, click here.

Diarrhoea 7 Point Plan

A 7-point plan for comprehensive diarrhoea control Diarrhoea remains the second leading cause of death among children under five globally. Nearly one in five child deaths – about 1.5 million each year – is due to diarrhoea. It kills more young children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. We know what needs to be done to reduce the burden of childhood diarrhoea. A package of proven prevention and treatment measures are now available that, if taken to scale, would have a profound impact on reducing child deaths and would lead to a significant reduction in the diarrhoea burden in the medium to long term.

To know more, click here.

Mother, Infant and Young Child Nutrition & Malnutrition

The fight against persistent underweight, stunting and wasting among children in developing countries is based on appropriate maternal, infant and young child feeding practices including micro-nutrient deficiencies prevention and control. However, wasted children are those at immediate risk of dying and will need timely detection and correct management for their survival. With new technologies, increased resources and greater understanding now more available than ever for tackling malnutrition, practice on the ground is still struggling to show results as it attempts to keep up with the pace.

To know more, click here.

Health Education to Villages

HETV works within the existing health framework of developing countries to establish and promote health educational programs that will provide rapid and long-term capacity-building to improve health and quality of life, and will give mothers and communities more control over their health status. Partnered with national and state governments, we work to assist in educating mothers and children, teachers and students, doctors and village health workers, and a variety of community leaders, in the targeted areas of nutrition, health, water, hygiene, and sanitation.

To know more, click here.

Facts for Life

Each year, around 9 million children die from preventable and treatable illnesses before reaching their fifth birthday. Many die during their first year of life. Countless more children live in precarious situations and face diminished futures. The handbook, Facts for Life, provides vital messages and information for mothers, fathers, other family members and caregivers and communities to use in changing behaviours and practices that can save and protect the lives of children and help them grow and develop to their full potential.

To know more, click here.

HealthPhone^TM

A personal video, audio and image reference library and guide to better health practices, on a microSD card, for health workers, families and communities, especially those who live in villages and slums, to use in their mobile phones, when they need it, where they are, and as they are. This innovative way to use mobile technology provides access to knowledge, including for those with low literacy levels, about common childhood diseases, pregnancy, nutrition, childbirth, the first year of life, child survival, growth, learning, development and protection, and empower women to make healthy decisions for themselves and their families.

To know more, click here.

Guide to Child Care

For pregnant mothers and parents of infants, young children, and teenagers. A definitive guide to the parent on pregnancy and childrearing from infancy to the teenage years. Authored by one of India's foremost paediatricians and an internationally renowned authority on breastfeeding, the book combines knowledge of traditional childrearing practices with the latest medical developments in child care. He speaks of the influence of the parents’ way of life on the child and the value to the child of the time a parent devotes to him or her.

To know more, click here.

Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding

The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global effort by UNICEF and the World Health Organization to implement practices that protect, promote and support breastfeeding. It aims to ensure that all maternities whether free standing or in a hospital, become centres of breastfeeding support. Hospitals and maternity units set a powerful example for new mothers. The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding are the foundation of BFHI and summarize the maternity practices necessary to support breastfeeding. A maternity facility can be designated 'baby-friendly' when it does not accept free or low-cost breastmilk substitutes, feeding bottles or teats, and has implemented these 10 specific steps to support successful breastfeeding.

To know more, click here.

Initiation of Breastfeeding by Breast Crawl

Every newborn, when placed on the mother’s abdomen, soon after birth, has the ability to find its mother’s breast all on its own and to decide when to take the first breastfeed. This is called the ‘Breast Crawl’. UNICEF, WHO and WABA along with the scientific community strongly recommend initiating breastfeeding within half an hour of birth. Evidence shows that early initiation can prevent 22% of all deaths among babies below one month in developing countries. Help every mother and baby experience this miracle and initiate breastfeeding the nature's way.

To know more, click here.

HIV and Breastfeeding

Understanding International Policy on HIV and Breastfeeding: a comprehensive resource is a resource which aims to clarify the confusion which has arisen during the last decade due to changing HIV and infant feeding guidance. The resource is intended for policy-makers, breastfeeding advocates, national breastfeeding committees, public health advocates, women's health activists and others working in the community. The resource also summarises up-to-date scientific evidence as at the end of 2012. Research emerging between WHO's 2006 and 2010 guidance documents showed conclusively that maternal/infant ARV regimens during pregnancy and breastfeeding greatly reduce vertical transmission of HIV.

To know more, click here.

Mother and Child Health

Appropriate, affordable and up-to-date learning material for healthcare workers in under-resourced areas, so that they can manage their own continuing education courses which will enable them to learn, practise and deliver skilful, efficient patient care. Adult HIV, Birth Defects, Child Healthcare, Childhood HIV, Childhood TB, Intrapartum Care, Maternal Care, Mother and Baby Friendly Care, Newborn Care, Newborn Care, Perinatal HIV, Primary Maternal Care, Primary Newborn Care, Saving Mothers and Babies.

To know more, click here.

Disaster Relief

Emergencies such as conflicts, disasters or epidemics, expose families to risks that make them especially vulnerable to disease, malnutrition and violence. Girls, boys and women typically are the most affected by emergencies. Each year, up to 50 million people are displaced due to disasters. Climate change could increase these numbers. Displacement undermines families' livelihoods and social support mechanisms. This can lead to family separations and increase children's vulnerability to discrimination, abuse, violence, poverty and exploitation.

To know more, click here.

Education for Girls

Why Should We Pay Attention to Girls?

• When a girl in the developing world receives 7 or more years of education, she marries 4 years later and has 2.2 fewer children. An extra year of primary school boosts girls’ eventual wages by 10 to 20%. An extra year of secondary school: 15 to 25%.
• Research in developing countries has shown a consistent relationship between better infant and child health and higher levels of schooling among mothers.
• When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90% of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40% for a man.

To know more, click here.

Education for Boys

There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. The most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world.

To know more, click here.

Polio Free

Polio is a highly infectious disease which targets the nervous system and can cause paralysis. Polio affects children mainly below the age of five, but immune and partially immune adults can still be affected by the disease. Although the most visible sign of polio is paralysis; only one percent of the effects of the disease is likely to be paralysis. Polio has no symptoms and can spread widely before paralysis is visible. Those affected by polio are often not aware that they have the disease. It is passed through person to person contact. The disease has been eliminated in most countries in the world There is no treatment for polio. However, the disease can be prevented through vaccination and simple health interventions.

To know more, click here.

AIDS Action

This website brings a wider audience to the different newsletters and publications produced by Healthlink Worldwide. Originally aimed at health workers, educators and community workers in different local regions in developing countries, these resources provide practical information on a wide range of care, support and prevention issues concerning HIV, AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The resources include training manuals, briefing papers and discussion guides.

To know more, click here.

Rights of the Child

The right to affection, love, and understanding. The right to adequate nutrition and medical care. The right to free education. The right to full opportunity for play and recreation. The right to a name and nationality. The right to special care, if handicapped. The right to be among the first to receive relief in times of disaster. The right to learn to be a useful member of society and to develop individual abilities. The right to be brought up in a spirit of peace and universal brotherhood. The right to enjoy these rights, regardless of race, colour, sex, religion, national, or social origin

To know more, click here.

A Simple Solution

Diarrhoea kills more young children around the world than Malaria, AIDS and TB combined. Yet a simple and inexpensive treatment can prevent many of those deaths. A Simple Solution: In the West, it's an inconvenience, but, in the developing world, it can be a death sentence. It kills millions of children every year, yet the treatment is a simple mixture of salt, sugar and water. So why isn't more being done to fight diarrhoea? Most deaths from diarrhoea can be prevented by giving the victim oral rehydration. It is the most effective, least expensive way to manage diarrhoeal dehydration.

To know more, click here.

Imagine

Imagine that the world had invented a new 'dream product' to feed and immunize everyone born on Earth. Imagine also that it was available everywhere, required no storage or delivery - and helped mothers to plan their families and reduce the risk of cancer...Then imagine that the world refused to use it.This scenario is not, alas, a fiction. The 'dream product' is human breastmilk, available to us all at birth, and yet we are not using it. As an integral part of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, its Ten Steps outlines how hospitals and birth centres around the world can promote, protect, and support breastfeeding.

To know more, click here.

Community Video

Video gives people their voice back. Video gives communities the space to think new thoughts. Video Programs are screened to local communities and globally. Give a voice to 1000s of poor communities in the developing world and democratize the media.

To know more, click here.

Kyunki... Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai

A unique take on the popular soap opera format, the UNICEF led Hindi entertainment-education serial Kyunki… Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai (Because… That’s What Life Is) takes a firm and progressive stand for a healthy India in an entirely refreshing way. With its engaging storyline, highly talented cast and inspirational messaging, Kyunki… has become a favourite amongst viewers across India. Promoting messages that encourage positive behaviour change, be it awareness about HIV/AIDS, educating the girl child, gender equity, safe motherhood, hygiene and sanitation or other key social and health behaviours.

To know more, click here.

Untouchability

Untouchability is a direct product of the caste system. It is not merely the inability to touch a human being of a certain caste or sub-caste. It is an attitude on the part of a whole group of people that relates to a deeper psychological process of thought and belief, invisible to the naked eye, translated into various physical acts and behaviours, norms and practices. The 1950 national constitution of India legally abolishes the practice of untouchability provides measures for positive discrimination in both educational institutions and public services for Dalits and other social groups who lie within the caste system. These are supplemented by official bodies such as the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

To know more, click here.

Source : The Mother and Child Health and Education Trust