Nutritious food to new mothers in Kaligandaki

By Tilachan Pandey,Tamghas, Dec. 9: Kaligandaki Rural Municipality of Gulmi has been giving a unique gift to its new mothers. This gift, according to Vice Chairperson Manju Kumari Darlami, helps women get the nutrition they need after giving birth. 

Under its 'Vice Chairperson with Pregnant Women and New Mothers' campaign, the rural municipality has already given this gift, along with advice on resting, nourishment and healthcare, to 68 new mothers this fiscal year.

So, what is this gift? Darlami informed that the new mothers were provided rooster, or if roosters are not available or people do not prefer them, ghee.

Similarly, as per the local level's Health Division, the women are also given two 'nutrition packages' when they are pregnant. They are a crate of eggs and chickpeas. The rural municipality also gives women soap and nail cutters to promote cleanliness, Health Division chief Chandra Bahadur Thapa said.

Renuka Sinjali, a new mother who lives in Arveni, Kaligandaki-2, said that the pregnancy nutrition package and the rooster made her feel like the local government indeed cared about the wellbeing of its citizens.

Jamuna Budha said that the initiative helped poor and financially disadvantaged women get proper nutrition. Rabina Neupane, another new mother, hoped the local government would continue this programme in the future as well. 

Naresh Giri, Chief Administrative Officer at the rural municipality, informed that Rs. 700,000 had been allocated for the 'Vice Chairperson with Pregnant Women and New Mothers' campaign. He expressed confidence that, in addition to nourishing mothers, the initiative would give them access to regular checkups and make people aware of the need to give birth in health institutions.