117

Ekjut

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e example of a tr

ee helps young people understand the

influences on their lives and growth

ollowing pages (118–119):

Young people taking up the

responsibility for developing nutrition gardens in their village

F

ounded by Dr. Prasanta Kishore Tripathy

and Dr. Nirmala Nair in 2002

With a goal of building healthier

communities, and with a focus

on equity and environmentally

sustainable development, at the heart

of Ekjut’s vision is a world where

every human being has a right to

life with dignity, that respects and

celebrates life and diversity, and

where the voices of people guide

the decisions that shape the quality

of their lives. It works towards

the improvement of child health,

and nutrition of underserved and

marginalized communities through

empowerment and community-

based interventions. Ekjut believes

in evidence-based research and its

first trial paper was published in the

Lancet

journal, which also received

the ‘Trial of the Year’ award.

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  

c

ommunity

engagement platform ‘Participatory

Learning and Action (PLA)’, Ekjut works to

improve the health and nutritional status

of mothers, newborns and young children.

Monthly meetings of women’s groups,

led by a facilitator, identify and prioritize

problems facing the community and then

find solutions and implement them together.

To make the process more engaging, adult

learning devices like story-telling, games,

use of picture cards, demonstrations or role-

plays are used during the meetings, which

are conducted in the local dialect and are

flexible on venue and timings.

Started by a group of doctors, Ekjut

began its work in the areas of maternal

and child health. ‘Being based in the

district provided the added benefit of

viewing things from the community’s

perspective better – the disparities, the

levels of marginalization and the dire need

for improving health. Collaborating with

academic institutions from the start had

the advantage of disseminating the results

to a wider audience,’ says Dr. Nirmala

Nair, Secretary, Ekjut. Its impact increased

exponentially over the years as it began to