Balconagar (Chhattisgarh) [India], August 5 (ANI/GPRC): Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), India's iconic Aluminium producer and a subsidiary of Vedanta Aluminium, has launched a week long awareness campaign in line with World Breastfeeding Week theme 2022 'Step Up for Breastfeeding: Educate and Support' under the aegis of its rural health project 'Arogya'.

The weeklong awareness programme is aimed at creating awareness in the region to sensitize pregnant women and lactating mothers on the importance of breastfeeding for children's nutrition, and overall development. The session entails interaction of women with Mitanin Master Trainers and Health & Nutrition experts with emphasis on subjects like importance of exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of an infant's life and best practices to be followed by the pregnant & lactating mothers etc.

Talking about BALCO's health interventions, Abhijit Pati, CEO and Director, BALCO, said, "We at BALCO are committed to undertake endeavours aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 3, 'Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages'. The project Arogya is a comprehensive health initiative that aims to target areas of issues in health care and supports the community with suitable interventions. BALCO's health interventions have been instrumental in improving the quality of life of rural communities in the vicinity. We are dedicated towards building healthy societies."

Sharing their experiences, Dhaneshwari Baghel, a localite, said, "I extend my thanks to the entire team of BALCO for conducting such educational sessions and helping us to improve our knowledge regarding enhancing the health care of new borns and children."

Kewal Shriwas, Mitanin, said, "Such interactive events not only benefit the participating audience but also help their peers and family members, thus sensitizing the masses on large scale."

In FY'22, BALCO through project 'Arogya' and its NGO partner Social Revival group for Rural Urban & Tribal (SROUT) reached out to over 30,000 people through curative and preventive healthcare services in 30 communities.

The project entails organization of multiple awareness and capacity building sessions on HIV, TB and Maternal & Child Health at different locations in the region. Throughout the year, community level meetings have been organized for spreading awareness regarding HIV.

Promoting Maternal & Child Health, 150 nutrition gardens have been developed and training has been imparted to over 500 mothers on recipes from Take Home Ration aimed at improving the nutrition levels of mothers and children.

Through the project, BALCO has also revived 21 MahilaArogyaSamiti and 11 Village Health, Sanitation & Nutrition Committee (health bodies in communities) covering 600 Panchayati Raj Institute members and local health workers for better convergence & leveraging.

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