Patna: Bihar is observing the 9th National Nutrition Month from September 9 to October 8 with the theme “Hamari Anganwadi, Hamari Zimmedari”. The month-long campaign aims to strengthen the community movement against malnutrition and encourage lasting changes in nutrition and health practices at the grassroots level.
Organised under the National Rural Livelihood Mission with the support of the Union Ministry of Rural Development, the campaign is being implemented through JEEViKA’s community institutions across Bihar. JEEViKA Didis are playing a key role in taking nutrition messages to rural households.
JEEViKA Didis Lead Grassroots Nutrition Drive
Over the past eight years, JEEViKA Didis have actively supported the annual Poshan Maah campaign. According to JEEViKA officials, these efforts have contributed to greater awareness about health and nutrition among communities.
The programme focuses particularly on pregnant women, lactating mothers and children aged 7 to 23 months. Activities are being conducted through JEEViKA’s extensive network of 11.88 lakh self-help groups, more than 73,000 village organisations and 1,684 cluster-level federations.
JEEViKA staff, cluster-level representatives, master resource persons, community nutrition resource persons and JEEViKA Mitras are supporting the implementation and monitoring of the campaign.
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Weekly Meetings Turn Into Nutrition Platforms
A three-tier strategy has been adopted to conduct Poshan Maah activities through community institutions. At the self-help group level, nutrition discussions have been made a regular part of weekly meetings.
Women are being encouraged to discuss practical issues that directly affect family health, including balanced diets, the use of locally available millets, prevention of anaemia, breastfeeding, complementary feeding and hygiene.
Special attention is also being given to the care of children aged 7 to 23 months. JEEViKA Didis are being encouraged to establish nutrition gardens at their homes to increase access to fresh and nutritious food.
Rallies and Awareness Activities at Village Level
At the village organisation level, JEEViKA is conducting nutrition rallies, morning processions and coordination meetings with Anganwadi centres.
Special activities are also being organised for adolescent girls, including menstrual hygiene awareness and anaemia screening camps. Events such as God Bharai for pregnant women and Annaprashan for young children are being linked with nutrition messages to make these traditional community programmes more useful for health awareness.
The approach seeks to take nutrition awareness beyond formal meetings and connect it with activities that communities already participate in.
Coordination With Health and ICDS Departments
At the cluster-level federation stage, JEEViKA institutions are working with block and district administrations, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the Health Department.
This convergence is being used to organise larger nutrition exhibitions and strengthen coordination among departments working on maternal and child health.
The campaign also relies on JEEViKA-trained master resource persons in health and nutrition, community nutrition resource persons and JEEViKA Mitras. These community-level workers help communicate nutrition-related information and support families in adopting healthier practices.
Focus on Maternal and Child Nutrition
The campaign places particular emphasis on the nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating women and young children. Discussions on breastfeeding, complementary feeding, balanced diets and anaemia are intended to help families make informed health and nutrition choices.
Officials said the wider involvement of JEEViKA’s community institutions is helping bring the campaign closer to rural households. The initiative also seeks to strengthen awareness around safe deliveries, child care, sanitation and other factors connected with maternal and child health.
JEEViKA’s district, block and panchayat-level teams are continuously monitoring activities to support implementation throughout the campaign period.
Building a Community Movement Against Malnutrition
The Bihar government sees the Poshan Maah campaign as part of the wider effort to tackle malnutrition through community participation. Rather than limiting activities to government departments, the programme uses women’s self-help groups and village-level organisations as platforms for spreading health and nutrition awareness.
With activities continuing until October 8, the campaign is expected to bring nutrition-related discussions, demonstrations and awareness programmes to communities across Bihar. Its broader focus is on making nutrition a regular part of household and community decision-making.
The participation of JEEViKA Didis also highlights the role of women-led community institutions in supporting social change alongside their economic empowerment work. The campaign aims to build on this network to strengthen awareness and encourage healthier practices among rural families.
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