Shanti Baraik reports from Jharkhand’s Gumla district. Shanti feels that her district is quite backward compared to the other districts in the state. “Human trafficking is rampant in Gumla. There is a lack of employment opportunities here. In the neighbouring Simdega district, programs have been introduced, to train people in mushroom farming, for instance. But there is nothing of the…

Shanti Baraik

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Children of Jharkhand are being denied necessary vaccinations because of the neglect of the authorities in the area. Deep in Jharkhand's Gumla district, children have not received the vaccination in their village since three years. The new and expectant mothers of the Kurdega village have requested for a mini-anganwadi ( a basic healthcare centre in rural India) several times but to know avail. The nearest health centre to give the vaccination, an important step to ensure a child's health growth, is three kilometres away which the mothers have to cross on foot.

Under the Integrated Child Development Services program, Anganwadis, the health centres form the backbone to combat child hunger and malnutrition in rural India, where 70% of the population lives. It is important very important that the mini-aganwadi is set-up because it also provides supplementary nutrition, non-formal pre-school education, nutrition and health education, health check-up and referral services.

Armed with the video, now Shanti, Urmila and the other women are going to approach the authorities so that a mini-anganwadi opens in the village opens and poor residents don’t have to go miles away for their medical needs.

You can help the women by calling Vinay Lakra, Block Medical Officer of Basia, Gumla, at +91-8969196275 and ask that he look into this matter.

This video was made by a Video Volunteers Community Correspondent Shanti Baraik.

Community Correspondents come from marginalised communities in India and produce videos on unreported stories. These stories are ’news by those who live it.’ they give the hyperlocal context to global human rights and development challenges. See more such videos at www.videovolunteers.org. Take action for a more just global media by sharing their videos and joining in their call for change.