Hygiene Kit and Nutrition Support to Pregnant and Lactating Mothers

With limited resources and increasing number of migrant workers returning from India, the quarantine facilities in various provinces in Nepal are getting overcrowded and local governments are facing challenges in management. It is important that pregnant and lactating mothers have adequate access to an appropriate dietary intake in the crisis situation and maintain hygiene to reduce the risk of infection. However, the local government is not able to fulfil the needs of these vulnerable groups in quarantine centres. Hence, to minimize the risk to these groups, FAIRMED with support from its implementing partner Kalika Self-Reliance Social Center (KSSC) distributed hygiene materials and nutrition supplements to 84 mothers (30 pregnant women and 54 lactating mothers) at 38 quarantine facilities and two isolation centers of 16 local levels of Kapilvastu, Rupendehi and Nawalparasi districts.

"My husband and I faced a tough time while we were travelling with my 22-month child from Mumbai to our home in Krishnanagar. With six-month baby in my womb, I never thought it would be an easy journey. But after arriving here, we were all put under quarantine and neither the facility nor us have been able to manage extra food and hygiene supply. Due to the lack of nutritious food, I was feeling weak day by day and anxious about my baby's health. I am very thankful to FAIRMED and KSSC for supporting us with these materials in such a crucial time of my life. This shall remain in my memory for a long time." - A pregnant woman at Dayanagar quarantine facility, Ward-8, Krishnanagar Municipality, Kapilvastu

“We don’t have any separate provision of food supply for mothers and children in our quarantine facilities and they are treated as other normal people. Although we felt such a need, we could not manage it due to lack of resources in the Palika (local level). The distribution of hygiene kit and nutritional items undertaken by the Essential Health Project (EHP) is appreciated and I am thankful to FAIRMED and KSSC for their valuable support in this crisis.” - Baiju Prasad Gupta, Chairperson of Palhinandan Rural Municipality, Nawalparasi West