‘Collective responsibility important in advancing nutrition, healthcare and child rights’

Senior Correspondent

NewsBits.in

BHOPAL: Soledad Herrero, Chief of Field Services at UNICEF India, visited Madhya Pradesh on August 25-26, engaging with a wide spectrum of stakeholders to reinforce the importance of collective responsibility in advancing nutrition, healthcare, and child rights.

On August 25, Herrero participated in the Impact4Nutrition (I4N) Madhya Pradesh Corporate Partners’ Meeting at UNICEF’s Bhopal office. The convening brought together industry leaders from Bhopal united in the belief that good nutrition is the foundation of human development.

As a knowledge hub, I4N connects businesses, institutions, and communities, relying on shared ideas and collaboration on nutrition. Madhya Pradesh Tourism was also part of the meeting and in the meeting pledged its support to Impact4Nutrition.

The following day, Herrero travelled to Sehore district to engage with frontline health initiatives. At Village Dhabla Mata in Ichhawar block, she was part of activity being done by the district teams to mobilise families on immunization and reach out missing children, part of work UNICEF and Madhya Pradesh Voluntary Health Association to create awareness on immunization.

Frontline workers explained how they identify and reach children, while community members participated in a social mapping exercise as part of a Participatory Rural Appraisal session.

The team also attended a Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND), where frontline workers, including CHO Krishna Parmar, ANM Sheela Pawar, and ASHAs Sushila and Syama, counselled families on immunization, maternal care, and overcoming vaccine hesitancy.

Herrero interacted with families benefiting from Home-Based Postnatal Care (HBPNC) and Home-Based Care for the Young Child (HBYC), appreciating the dedicated efforts to safeguard the health of newborns and young children. She in her meeting with communities, and CSO said happy mothers, happy children and happy communities

Back in Bhopal, a storytelling session brought together about 25 experts and community voices, including panchayat leaders, police personnel, lawyers, health workers, Women and Child Development officials, RKSK counsellors, feeding demonstrators, and volunteers from the Bharat Scouts & Guides.

Their narratives highlighted on-ground experiences in areas such as child protection, sanitation awareness, youth-led community change, breastfeeding promotion, and tackling malnutrition.

Concluding her visit, Herrero met Uday Pratap Singh, Minister of School Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh. She commended the state’s initiatives in career guidance, life skills education, and ongoing efforts to strengthen student retention and learning outcomes.