SACHET

Project period: January 2026 – December 2029

Geographic Area: Ganeshnagar, EWS, Keshvaninagar, Sorainagar and Sorainagar Chaapra urban slums of Vasna Ward, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Project Outreach: Approximately 3,000 households, representing a population of around 14,500 individuals.

Background:

Rapid urbanization has increased the slum population in Ahmedabad, where poor sanitation, unsafe drinking water, inadequate healthcare, and poor living conditions continue to impact the health and nutrition of vulnerable families. Women and children are particularly affected, facing high rates of malnutrition, anaemia, infections, and limited access to essential health services. Additionally, the burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension is rising among urban poor communities.

To address these challenges, CHETNA initiated the SACHET Program to improve access to comprehensive primary healthcare services, with a special focus on maternal and child health, child nutrition, and non-communicable disease prevention and management in the urban slums of Vasna, Ahmedabad.

Key Objectives:

• To increase access and uptake of maternal, child and adolescent health services from the public health system.
• Creating health and nutrition awareness among the community
• Create awareness among the community on non-communicable diseases and increase access to services through referral mechanism

Project Activities

• Establish a dedicated Health and Nutrition Counselling Centre within the community to provide regular health education, counselling, and referral support.
• Facilitate monthly Mother and Child Health (MCH) Days to improve antenatal care, immunization coverage, breastfeeding counselling, and growth monitoring.
• Conduct group sessions on 1^st 1000 days, maternal and children nutrition, anaemia prevention, menstrual health, adolescent nutrition, and mental well-being.
• Carry out regular weight monitoring of children, organize recipe demonstrations, provide complementary feeding support, and refer severely malnourished children to the Child Malnutrition Treatment Centre (CMTC).
• Organize community campaigns, health camps, rallies, and IEC activities to promote maternal health, child nutrition, and the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
• Conduct home visits and provide personalized counselling to mothers, adolescents, and individuals at risk of NCDs.
• Conduct screening for non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, among community members aged 30 years and above.
• Organize quarterly Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) screening camps for diabetes, hypertension, respiratory illnesses, and cancers, with appropriate referral linkages for diagnosis and treatment.

Partner: S&P Capital IQ India Private Limited