Payir Trust - Nutrition for Severely Malnourished Children

About Payir
Payir (meaning “sapling” in Tamil) is a community-based not-for-profit organization, based in
Thenur village – located in one of the most backward districts (Perambalur) in Tamil Nadu.
Our area of work primarily focuses on:

• Education initiatives
• Children nutrition programs
• Skill development and creating rural enterprises
• Community healthcare
• Agriculture and watershed management programs

We also have initiatives in the following subsidiary programs:

• Improving local governance
• Creating social solidarity

The fundamental idea is holistic rural empowerment and to develop a dynamic evolving,
sustainable model which enables everyone to lead a socially and economically productive life.

Nutrition for Severely Malnourished Children
Challenges

• Nearly 50% of children in public schools are severely malnourished
• Over 70% of girl children and young women are anemic
• Poor nutrition levels lead to frequent illnesses and fatigue
• School absence and drop out rates are high

Payir’s Intervention

• Provided nutritious breakfast to primary schools nearby
• Initiated a supplementary nutrition program targeting common nutrition and calorie deficiencies in anganwadis, primary, middle and high schools
• Conducted programs and theater workshops to increase community awareness of nutrition and child growth

Impact

• Our nutrition program has reached 35,000 children
• Nearly 50% of severely malnourished children are no longer malnourished. Over 70% showed significant improvement. Anemia prevalence in adolescent girls has more than halved
• The government has partnered with Payir to expand the reach of the supplementary nutrition program to the entire district
• School attendance improved to nearly 100% due to our nutrition programs