Friends of Anganwadi

The Government of India initiated the Anganwadi (child care) scheme in the year 1975 to combat child hunger and malnutrition in underprivileged sections of the society. Today it is the largest network of community workers in the world. Not only are the Anganwadi workers the most reliable ground level repositories of data on health of children, adolescents, pregnant women and lactating mothers, but they have also played a significant role in arresting infant mortality. These women come in handy when it comes to implementing any new scheme announced by the government, and that keeps their working hours uncertain. The COVID pandemic truly tested their mettle. They undertook perilous tasks in the journey of tracing- tracking- and treating the COVID patients when vaccines were not available and even suffered ostracization because of the nature of their work during the deadly pandemic. They reached out to the vulnerable communities with food and medicine supplies during the lockdown and also worked to assuage the phobia towards the vaccines, when they were finally available.  

While their valor is eulogized as Matrushakti (the Mother Energy), Anganwadi workers are volunteers and entitled only to an honorarium contributed by the Central and State governments.   If the rate of return on community health is as high as 1$: 10$, (WHO: 2015), it is only appropriate that the beneficiaries who represent the civil society stand up as collaborators initiating a Social Dialogue process.

Drawing upon the emotion of gratitude, this initiative aims to mobilize the beneficiaries of child care workers – that is, children who were taken care of by Anganwadi workers and have now grown up – to stand with them and support them.  

There are nearly 14 lakh Anganwadis in India operated by more than 27 lakh workers, in providing basic health, nutrition and education services to a population of nearly ten crores. In Maharashtra, this number is 1.08 lakh and nearly two lakhs respectively, and the number of beneficiaries is estimated to be about 70 lakhs. This can be a big source of support for the Anganwadi workers because the pool of beneficiaries has been gathering since last five decades! Bringing these beneficiaries together in support of their mentors can, therefore, be an important step towards creating a framework for social dialogue.

This very idea led to the project ‘From Toddlers to Enablers: Mobilising Beneficiaries of Community Health Service providers in Maharashtra to Lobby for the rights of ASHA and Anganwadi Workers’, in 2022. A group of more than 40 workers from across Maharashtra was formed and online meetings were conducted to communicate the idea, and the purpose behind formation of the social platform ‘Friends of Anganwadi’.