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The key issues on which the organization works include:
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MAMTA’s initial work
focused on health with women and children being main target groups.
But soon it was realized that for bringing about a significant
change in women's health status, their behavior and attitude, there
was need to intervene at an earlier stage. Overcoming various
hurdles and obstacles like, lack of community support as well as
meager funds, MAMTA worked towards advancing adolescent health and
development. ILO was approached and their technical support was
sought for starting an Entrepreneurship Development Programme, later
AusAid also financially extended its support. As a result Adolescent
Development Centres (ADC) were established in the field areas. This
served the purpose of providing a platform for staring NFE and
Entrepreneurship development activities. The EDP center and the ADC
helped young girls and boys access these services within their
community, close to their own homes. Thus MAMTA was able to get a
forum to sensitize the young girls and boys and their families on
range of issues related to health and development. Currently a lot
of projects that are being implemented are addressing young people’s
needs on education, health empowerment and entrepreneurship
development.
Gender refers to the socio-cultural definition of men and women; the
way societies distinguish them and discriminate between them. We at
MAMTA are making all attempts to create awareness on the issue of
gender equity through programs and activities that encourage women’s
empowerment, as well as community participation in urban
and
rural
setting towards the same issue. Pilot interventions for
mainstreaming gender for sustainable development as well as efforts
towards reduction in early marriage and early pregnancy and
integrated development of adolescent girls are being made.
Reproductive and sexual rights*
have now been recognized as not only an important component of human
rights but also essential in any process that aims to further the
basic rights of individuals and enhance their well-being. Factors
such as access to basic health care, standard of living, education,
social status and access to information and medical services all
help to determine the reproductive health of young people as well as
their overall well-being. Cultural factors may prevent them
from exercising their reproductive rights as well.
Activities that have been taken up by MAMTA in this context include:
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Providing accurate and scientific information that enables young
people to be responsible in exercising their sexual and
reproductive health rights. This is being done in Intervention
areas through peer educators and in schools as sexuality
education.
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Provides services recognising their Right to access to health
care (including Reproductive health services) that are equitable
and affordable
MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child from inception 1990 –
have been endeavouring to provide quality, cost effective primary
health care services for urban poor women and children. The
organisation believe on holistic development where women and
children health remain an important pre-requisite for development.
From Human resource point of view and also in the context of
poverty, gender and right the organisation perspective remain to
achieve better health and development for women and children. While
improving women and child health, the organisation has adopted life
cycle approach as it might lead to more tangible impact on women and
child health and include adolescents as well as an important
constituent to make larger impact on the woman and child health in
future.
The approach of the organisation remain to improve women and child
health e.g. developing community based organisation- empowered to
offer primary care (Preventive and promotive) services at community
level, linking with existing government and non governmental
organisations in the vicinity for primary as well as secondary
referral services, upgrading knowledge and skill of existing health
care practioners on women and child health this includes registered
medical practioner, non medical practioners only when they are the
exclusive service providers, training traditional birth attendants
for safe home delivery – involving and training adolescents and
young people on women and child health to create a pool of knowledge
in the community and also as they are future parents. Training NGO’s
on women and child health remains a key approach of the
organisation.
Involving civil society, local municipality and government to
promote hygiene, sanitation and also providing potable water in the
community. Now, more than a decade of experience of the organisation
on population more than 1,00,000 in two poor urban communities in
Delhi have revealed few startling results on women and child health
for example – Low birth weight has considerable reduced, Utilisation
of antenatal care by pregnant women have significantly improved,
maternal morbidity and infant morbidity have declined considerable.
Overall knowledge levels of the community of women and child health
have shown dramatic improvement. All these findings are significant
when compared to base line data.
So organisation, continue to work on women and child health till
date in urban poor community of Delhi and also promoting primary
care for women and child health in rural Haryana through strengthening
Government Primary Health Care system.
To name, these projects are:
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Integrated adolescent development programme towards women’s
empowerment
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Women’s Health and
Development through Empowerment with community participation in an
urban poor setting – An action approach
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Preventive and
Promotive Maternal and Child Health Project
The
various sectors that find a place in MAMTA’s mission are
reproductive health of women, women’s economic opportunities,
women’s education, skills and knowledge development and linkages
building. The activities in Mamta are geared towards an overall
empowerment of women. We endeavour to sensitise them in the area of
violence against women in which they are exposed to the knowledge of
their marital and legal rights. In this efforts we do not leave out
the men as participants. We are involving male participation in the
crusade against violence. Male participation is also sought in the
activities of women’s reproductive health. Community meetings with
target groups and stakeholders are regularly held to build up
awareness. Clinics are a regular feature where gynaecological and
paediatric check ups are provided. Women’s empowerment is
incomplete without economic and educational inputs being given.
Thus awareness of teachers and parents are raised so that they
impress upon the community to send the children particularly the
girl child to preschool levels. They are sensitised to send the
school drop outs to school for a longer stay which has a twofold
benefit. While the girl child gets educated, her longer stay in the
school prevents the early marriage.
Women
entrepreneurship is encouraged through skill development. Young
girls are given training in typing, tailoring or beauty culture so
that they can attain economic independence. Thus an overall
development of a girl is attempted so that a girl knows her rights
as a married woman and is empowered enough to voice her opinion in
decision making in family and outside.
MAMTA has been constantly working towards optimising the
health and development of adolescents/ young people. The experience
of the organisation on providing the Reproductive and Child Health
clinical facilities and counselling services for women, children and
adolescent/ young people at community level has been well
thought-out for integrating it in existing public delivery system
for larger coverage and upscale. These efforts have already been
scaled up by the organisation in state of Haryana, Karnataka,
Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh up to district level. This is
being done in partnership with Sida and WHO.
HIV/
AIDS and young people is one of the major thrust of MAMTA work. It
has initiated an intervention on RTIs/ STIs and HIV/ AIDS prevention
for youth in process of addressing RCH issues with marginalised
community in urban slum.
The
peer educators approach has been instrumental to mobilise
adolescents/ young people on their concerns and also the various
stakeholders at different forums. MAMTA conducts research studies on
the health and development related issues of adolescents/ young
people, on their growth and development, sexual and reproductive
health, sexual behaviours, early marriage and early pregnancy and
health system for young people.
The
attempt at policy initiative for young people’ issues was instigated
by MAMTA while conducting the policy review study for adolescent
health and development in the country context with the support of
UNFPA under the aegis of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,
Government of India.
Development of information base and resource of reference materials
and its access is the significant aspects to address the
adolescents/ young people appropriate information concerns. MAMTA
has established a countrywide network for Adolescent/ Young People
Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights with 150 partners in
various Indian States, thereby influencing thousands of young people
at the national level.
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