A staggering 38.4% of children in India suffer from malnutrition, leading to stunted growth.

Access to improved sanitation facilities is limited to only 36% of India’s population.

Alarmingly, over 40% of children are underweight, with over a quarter born with low birth weight. In rural areas, the situation is dire, where over 45% of children under 5 years are underweight.

Over a third of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per day. Poverty and malnutrition are intricately linked, contributing to approximately 45% of all deaths in children under 5 years.

The challenge persists also in Maharashtra, area in which our association operates, with more than one in three children struggling with underweight conditions.

India hosts a significant number of child laborers in the world. Disturbingly, the working conditions these children endure remain unregulated, subjecting them to arduous labor without access to adequate nourishment and meager wages that parallel conditions akin to slavery. Furthermore, instances of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse afflict child workers.

Achieving inclusion remains a distant reality for the majority of children with disabilities. A variety of barriers persistently hinder their engagement in education.

The journey to education is marred by obstacles such as inaccessible transportation, lacking facilities like water units, meal areas, and restrooms in schools. Unsuitable classroom furniture, slippery floors, and insufficient lighting and ventilation compound these challenges, creating hurdles for children with disabilities.

Teaching methods and materials that fail to accommodate the needs of children with disabilities, coupled with prevailing negative attitudes among parents, communities, and educators, amplify the struggle. This challenge not only affects access but also retention and learning for these children.

In rural settings, this can be an even more critical issue.

The well-being of a child is intricately linked to the health of its mother. A malnourished mother is likely to result in malnutrition in the young infant. Antenatal care is pivotal for ensuring the birth of a healthy baby. Shockingly, one in five women in India doesn’t receive any antenatal care.

Women play a crucial role in the health of children. Empowerment of women is crucial for the health of children. One in three women is illiterate. In many rural areas, women need to seek permission from a man in the family before being allowed to travel or use money to pay for either healthcare consultations or drug treatment. The NFHS-3 found a direct relationship between the empowerment of women and lower child mortality rates (neonatal, infant and under 5 mortality rates).

Health professionals widely acknowledge the necessity for universal healthcare in India. A significant portion of the population lacks access to private healthcare due to financial constraints.

A mere 5% of households possess health insurance, leaving a substantial gap in coverage.

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) delved into reasons for not utilizing government health facilities. The two main reasons were the poor quality of care and the lack of a government health facility in the area. A major problem for rural women was the distance to a health facility. Concerns were also expressed that there may not be any drugs available at the public health facility.

Inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services within India’s health facilities significantly contribute to the elevated neonatal mortality rate.

Disturbingly, 22% of schools lack appropriate toilets for girls, while 58% of preschools lack toilets altogether. Moreover, 56% of preschools lack access to water on their premises.

Historically, open defecation has disproportionately affected the poorest rural citizens. This practice amplifies the risk of spreading diarrheal and waterborne diseases, exacerbated by the absence of regular handwashing and microbial contamination of water in homes and communities.

Poor sanitation can have a ripple effect when it hinders national development because workers are suffering from illnesses and living shorter lives, producing and earning less, and unable to afford education and stable futures for their children.