National Institute of Women, Children and Youth Development (NIWCYD)

NIWCYD Project

Location: Yvatmal district in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra

Extreme water scarcity, increasing debts, repeated crop failures and farmer suicides – this is the chilling scenario that greets us in this part of the country. People live in scattered hamlets, struggling to get by with very little to fall back upon. Food grains are scarce as are any sort of green vegetables. Basic survival is a day to day challenge with children being the most vulnerable.

HCNF works in this area in a handful of villages to implement a program based around water and soil conservation and therefore creating a healthy environment for children and their communities. Working to create basic systems like conservation tanks, kitchen gardens, organic farming, desilting wells and of course basic health and hygiene practices that have gone missing.

Through HCNF’s support these communities are slowly building their lives back together. Access to proper nutrition through kitchen gardens have resulted in children becoming healthier and therefore a chance at a better childhood. There is also an increased awareness on sanitation and hygiene and how it affects children’s lives.