Banswara, India

Achievements
Since October 2007, Banswara ADP has:

Health and sanitation

• Provided vaccinations for 287 children and 78 pregnant women against life-threatening diseases
• Given vitamin A supplements to 173 children
• Improved the nutrition of 264 malnourished children under the age of 5 by getting their mothers involved in World Vision’s Hearth programme, which teaches more nutritious ways of cooking.
• Constructed 140 new latrines

Education

Children proudly display their new school bags

• Distributed 4218 sweaters, 2820 school bags and 3288 pairs of shoes to school children
• Provided career counselling for 400 youth

Infrastructure

• Distributed 1026 radios to families to increase their connection to and awareness of other communities

Agriculture and food security

• Formed a farmers’ group for 428 farmers
• Trained 469 people in backyard kitchen gardening
• Constructed poultry sheds in 17 villages and provided 200 birds; this is part of a development programme for youth, giving them employment and income
• Provided six threshers to community groups

Justice

• Created 1100 postcards advocating for children’s rights and sent them to policy makers

The people of Banswara ADP still have a number of challenges ahead of them – one of the most serious being malnutrition. ADP staff say this continues to be a problem because of the community’s ingrained dietary habits and a preference to cook for better taste rather than nutrition. The ADP will continue to address this issue through its vegetable cultivation program and backyard kitchen garden training. World Vision will be focusing on improving nutrition in all of the ADP’s 30 villages this year.