Diet and lifestyle play a major role in the success of the Jeevani milk scheme. Food which is high on sour or spicy taste affects childrens health. There was a new learning that Jeevani Milk project can be better implemented in a home or hostel as food served could be slightly changed.
Encouraged by this positive response and with a change in awareness the team adopted the same procedure for the 100 students housed at the hostel for girls run by the Sarvodya Chetpet home run by Harijan sevak samaj‐ Chennai June 2015.
- The success of the project lies in
- The quality of milk provided.
- The diet and lifestyle of the children.
- The right dosage of medicine administered on a daily basis.
And most importantly a pre-assessment by doctors followed with regular periodic follow up.
The benefits observed were similar to the earlier projects in all cases.
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- Children were more active in the classroom and very energetic.
- They slept better at night so were more alert in the classroom.
- They felt fresh throughout the day.
- Children noticed reduction in hairfall.
- Girls specifically noticed an improvement in the menstrual cycle.
- Appetite increased.
Here milk with amukkura churnam was served to the girls in the evening once they came back from school. Dr Pallavi was the chief doctor who did the initial diagnosis and continued the relationship with the girls. One of the primary changes was the quality of milk. Efforts were taken to procure local Indian breed cow’s milk from a local farmer with the help of a volunteer Mr. Ramu. Inspite of the distance milk was procured to make sure they get the best quality milk.
A volunteer with Vaishnavi trust would visit the children on a weekly basis and helped with the logistics of milk and medicine procurement.
Two other volunteers were an integral part in making this project a success as well.
Many other initiatives were taken up to help the girls better.
- Cleaning of Chetpet
- Composting
- Tuition classes
- English training for girls.