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More Information About this Project
Project Needs and Beneficiaries
The primary problem being addressed is malnutrition and intestinal parasites among children in rural Sambalpur, Orissa, India. Income security for unskilled rural women is also addressed. The primary school student beneficiaries receiving the enriched soymilk and de-worming medicine will experience significantly better health in terms of growth, academic capability and decreased illness; more likely resulting in fully contributing members of society.
Activities
The enriched soymilk and medicine provided to primary school students through local food processing with the VitaGoat will provide a critical increase in protein and micronutrients, reducing disease, and creating employment for rural women.
Funding Information
Total Funding Received to Date: $2,390
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $14,610
Total Funding Goal: $17,000
Additional Documentation
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
Resources
Why this Project is Important
Potential Long Term Impact
Over two years, the 15,000 children receiving the fortified soymilk & deworming medicine will enjoy superior growth and decreased illness. This will improve the quality of life for them and their families, and increase their ability to learn.
Project Message
"Since the school feeding program began, attendance at the school has gone up because the children enjoy the soymilk so much… the children are happier."
- Narendra Sewa, Teacher of one-room school, Bosenmura, Orissa
When this Project was Updated
Last Updated
This project was last updated on March 11, 2008.
Date Added to GlobalGiving
This project was added to the GlobalGiving project catalog on August 08, 2007.
Latest Update from the Field
3 New VitaGoats Installed
By Hart Jansson - Project Team Leader, March 11, 2008 07:04 PM
Project Update – March 9, 2008
My apologies to all the generous GG donors who have been waiting very patiently for an update. Three new VitaGoats were installed in November in rural Orissa, near Sambalpur, as indicated by the new pictures. There are now 638 primary school students receiving the bread-and-soymilk micro-nutrient-fortified midday meal. There are 8 women working part-time to operate the four VitaGoats. Reports are being received regularly from the local implementing partner BISWA, both for production statistics and costs/revenues, as well as the Health Data study that is being conducted as part of the project. In addition to earning revenue from the government-funded midday-meal program, the women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) that are operating the VitaGoats are also selling the fibrous soybean residue (known as okara) to local dairy farmers – the still protein-rich residue has been shown to substantially increase the milk output when used as feed. They are also making tofu (by adding a coagulant to the hot soymilk immediately after it is produced) and selling that for wedding parties and other special occasions. Selling tofu is very profitable; its dairy equivalent – paneer, sells for about Rs 140 / kg, the tofu can be sold for about Rs 80 / kg.
All the children who are receiving the soymilk received their de-worming medicine (Albendozole), in late October. The micronutrient mix, Budhi-Shakti, is added to the soymilk daily. We are eager to see the results of the comparative study and expect a noticeable improvement in the physical development of those children receiving the soymilk compared to the control group. One of the VitaGoats was installed in a particularly remote village in the jungle, Bolaranga, where they claimed never to have seen a foreigner. Whether or not that was true, I was certainly viewed as a respected oddity on my visit. One of their typical worries is wild elephants coming through their village at night looking for food. The children took very readily to the soymilk; their first taste resulted in all the children asking for seconds or thirds. The schools these children attend are mud-walled structures with a thatch roof, mud floor and no chairs or tables. Typically the only furniture in such schools is a chair for the teacher and a blackboard. Poverty and malnutrition were evident in the stunting of many of the residents and signs of vitamin deficiencies such as goiter were common. The SHGs in these villages were very eager to receive the VitaGoat machines and were very conscientious in learning to operate the machine and in being hygienic in operating the machine and handling the soymilk.
The next VitaGoats are scheduled to be installed in May or June – look for our next update in a few months – and thanks for your generous support. If you have any questions, e-mail me at hart@malnutrition.org - Hart Jansson, Project Team Leader.
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Micronutrients in Soymilk for 15,000 Kids-Orissa
14.1% funded ($2,390)
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