Issues addressed by CHETNA

Improving Access to Food and Enhancing Nutrition: Every individual has the right to adequate food and nutrition, a foundation for healthy living. The increasing prevalence of under nutrition indicates the need to safeguard this right across the life cycle.

Improving Maternal and Newborn Health: The high rates of maternal and neonatal mortality indicate the need to address the right to life and survival of women and newborns. Poor maternal nutrition has a direct impact on pregnancy outcomes. Empowering women and community stakeholders to access their entitlements from the public health system is critical.

Ensuring Health and Development in Childhood: Every child has the right to survival and dignified life. To safeguard this right, there is a need to ensure that children have a healthy and equitable social environment within and outside the family. They should have access to adequate nutrition, health and developmental services. Specific intervention are required at different ages.

Saving the Girl Child:  The skewed sex ratio in the age group of 0-6 years indicates the need for social transformation to stop the heinous practice of sex selection and promote an enabling environment for valuing the girl child.

Promoting Reproductive and Sexual Health of Adolescents and Youth: Adolescents and Youth are a heterogeneous group and constitute 22% of India’s population. This phase of transition from childhood to adulthood requires significant efforts from all stakeholders. Information regarding their health and development, along with life skills, helps them to adopt healthy and responsible lifestyles.