Stories of Hope and Change: Vibha Devi, Bihar
Pearls of Wisdom in the backyard.
When Vibha Devi from Bandra in Muzaffarpur, Bihar joined the JEEViKA women’s self-help group in her village, her small backyard was only a thicket of shrubs, bushes and household waste. Along with learning about saving and wisely using her money, Vibha also started learning about health, nutrition, and sanitation during the JEEViKA self-help group meetings. As a first time mother-to-be, she found many pearls of practical wisdom in the participatory learnings and lively discussions. Armed with a small loan, a handful of seeds and two pearls of wisdom, Vibha and her mother-in-law Bechan, both JEEViKA members, set out to transform their backyard. The transformation plan progressed with Vibha’s own pregnancy, and the arrival of a new baby in the nearby hospital was heralded with two birthday gifts; a sanitary latrine and a Nutri-garden, both which were ready for use.
Vibha says “I gave my baby only breast milk in the first six months, not even water”; another pearl of practical wisdom. Bechan adds; “we learned from the self-help group that the child should be kept clean and the household hygienic”; “after the child completes six months, we should give additional feeds, two to three times a day; rice, pulses, milk and vegetables. We feed him mashed okra and mashed lady-fingers that we grow in our garden. The vegetables and fruits from the garden are also good for the breastfeeding mother”.
The small patch of land in Vibha Devi’s backyard has two new additions. As a new mother of a bright bubbly baby, these are perhaps two very useful birthday gifts!
When Vibha Devi from Bandra in Muzaffarpur, Bihar joined the JEEViKA women’s self-help group in her village, her small backyard was only a thicket of shrubs, bushes and household waste. Along with learning about saving and wisely using her money, Vibha also started learning about health, nutrition, and sanitation during the JEEViKA self-help group meetings. As a first time mother-to-be, she found many pearls of practical wisdom in the participatory learnings and lively discussions. Armed with a small loan, a handful of seeds and two pearls of wisdom, Vibha and her mother-in-law Bechan, both JEEViKA members, set out to transform their backyard. The transformation plan progressed with Vibha’s own pregnancy, and the arrival of a new baby in the nearby hospital was heralded with two birthday gifts; a sanitary latrine and a Nutri-garden, both which were ready for use.
Vibha says “I gave my baby only breast milk in the first six months, not even water”; another pearl of practical wisdom. Bechan adds; “we learned from the self-help group that the child should be kept clean and the household hygienic”; “after the child completes six months, we should give additional feeds, two to three times a day; rice, pulses, milk and vegetables. We feed him mashed okra and mashed lady-fingers that we grow in our garden. The vegetables and fruits from the garden are also good for the breastfeeding mother”.
Kartik, all of nine months, is a bundle of delight for both Vibha and Bechan. He squeals in laughter during his first baby steps to reach his mother’s open arms. “When my child grows up I will educate him, I have a lot of aspirations for him” is by far the most valuable pearl of wisdom, as unknowingly Vibha has stated a global evidence that “The 1,000 days from the start of a woman’s pregnancy until her child’s second birthday offer a unique window of opportunity to shape healthier and more prosperous futures. The right nutrition during this 1,000-day window can have an enormous impact on a child’s ability to grow, learn, and rise out of poverty.”[1]
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