The document discusses a digital platform called "Tarang Suposhit Maharashtracha" that was launched in Maharashtra, India to continue providing nutritional counseling and early childhood development services during COVID-19 when in-person Anganwadi services were disrupted. The platform uses an IVR helpline, WhatsApp chatbot, broadcast calls, and social media to disseminate audio, video, text and poster information on nutrition and child development to over 9 lakh beneficiaries per month at a low cost. Initial results found it reached over 1.3 million WhatsApp users, 2.1 million IVR callers, and distributed targeted counseling calls and educational video and animated series to millions. The program aims to integrate these digital

1. DELIVERING FOR NUTRITION IN SOUTH ASIA
Implementation Research in the Context of COVID-19
26th November 2021
Shashwat Kulkarni
A digital platform for continuing interface with potential
program participants for nutritional and early childhood
development counselling even during COVID-19 pandemic
Sustaining Jan Andolan
through digital waves
Speaker
picture-in-picture

2. • Maharashtra has witnessed heavy tally and toll due to COVID-19 causing disruption
of Anganwadi services: counselling services, IEC activities, ECD
• Child's first 1000 days is crucial period for their holistic development – Window of
opportunity cannot be missed due to the pandemic
• Social media and other electronic media : information overload and created confusion
among parents
• Efforts for counselling services through WhatsApp group: Difficult to assess the
reach and the quality of counselling services and IEC material shared
• Launched “Tarang Suposhit Maharashtracha” - A digital platform for continuing
interface with potential beneficiaries for nutritional and ECD counselling which makes
government authorized information easily accessible as an adaptation to COVID-19.
• Important step towards “tele-nutrition” to achieve goals of “Saksham Mahila, Sudrud
Balak, Suposhit Maharashtra”
Background

3. • IVR helpline, broadcast calls, WhatsApp chatbot, and social
media handles
• Call or send a WhatsApp message at 8080809063
• Auto-generated broadcast calls reach beneficiaries with
targeted messages
• IEC material disseminated in the form of audio, video, poster,
text, etc. based on multiple dimensions associated with
nutrition and ECD
• “Ek Ghas Mayecha-Feeding with Care” special recipe video
series
• Intergenerational influencers: “Aajibaichya Gujgoshti-
Grandma’s stories” animated video series
Reach of 9 lakh beneficiaries per month at Rs. 4/- per child per
year
Tarang Suposhit Maharashtracha

4. ✓ Conducted market research to understand the financial viability of the project
✓ Content creation, pre-testing and cataloging of existing IEC material - voice overs for
IVR and Broadcast calls, “Ek Ghas Mayecha-Feeding with Care” recipe video series,
“Aajibaichya Gujgoshti-Grandma’s stories” animated video series
✓ Setting up of the digital platforms – IVR, Broadcast calls, WhatsApp chatbot
✓ Capacity building of frontline workers and monitoring the implementation for better
reach
Implementation

5. Monitoring Dashboard

6. ❖ WhatsApp chatbot has seen 1.3 Million users and 37 million messages
❖ 2.1 Million people have called on the IVR Helpline
❖ Targeted counselling calls have reached more than 3.8 Million people
❖ “Ek Ghas Mayecha-Feeding with care” recipe video series reached more than 50000
people and helped in explaining nutritious recipes and responsive feeding.
❖ “Aajibaichya Gujgoshti” – “Grandma’s stories” animated video series reached more
than 30000 people and addressed myths related to children's first 1000 days in the
context of COVID-19
Results Achieved

7. Social Audit through digital platforms

8. • Integration of digital platforms to strengthen CBE, VHSND, and other SBCC
activities to achieve Poshan Abhiyaan goals
• Promotion of the digital platforms during home visits – empowering mothers to
access nutritional and ECD information at fingertips
• Expansion to include other programs/ issues - Women rights, child rights,
other department SBCC initiatives
• Developing dashboard to monitor district and block wise reach
Way Forward