Urgent work in Udaipur

This cradle sits outside a hospital in Udaipur, discretely behind a screen. It is set on springs so that when a child is placed in it a bell rings inside and the staff can collect the baby. The cradle is there so that if a woman is going to abandon her baby she can at least make sure the baby is given the care it needs to survive. Sadly, together with its twin outside an ashram on the edge of the city, it has been used 129 times over the last 8 years. This is a tragic major problem in India, and particularly so for girls since many Indian families prefer to have boys.

After the baby has received the immediate attention that she needs, she is taken to the Mahesh Ashram which is a home for abandoned babies. The home was founded by Yogi Devendra Aggrawa, and there they care for the child while working to get them adopted. Today we met Yogi Devendra and he told us about how wants his ashram to be a cradle of hope – a haven for abandoned infants. His goals fit well with Save the Children’s work on child survival, and they are working together with him and the government to take the model that is working here in Udaipur and apply it around the state. We also met TV and radio reporters there – let’s hope any publicity about our visit helps get the message out about the importance of essential care and services like this!

Earlier we had visited the Divya Mother’s Milk Bank (it was also founded by Yogi Devendra). This is the first of this type of facility in the North of India, and it is part of the nation’s efforts to increase the use of breast feeding in order to improve infant mortality. One of the biggest issues for the Milk Bank is in changing cultural attitudes so it has been important to work on that at the same time as providing the physical facilities. Save the Children have worked closely and patiently with the Milk Bank, managing to increasing acceptance by the community. So far over 1800 babies have benefited from this particular scheme. They’ve also been working with the government, so now the model is being replicated in 10 other locations in Rajasthan.

So two more great examples of how Save the Children are working in India. Tomorrow is our last day of visits before we set off for home. I know that all the team have been impressed with the work that we’ve seen here. Why not take a look at their blogs too?  You might get a slightly different perspective from them –  you can use the links to their blogs on my home page. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow.