ICDS II (BIHAR & MP)

closed

The project's objectives are to improve the nutrition and health status of children under 6 years of age, with special emphasis on those 0-3 years old, and pregnant and nursing women. It will also help to improve the capacity of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) to deliver services, including to tribal people, over the longer term. The project will comprise the following components: (a) service delivery, to increase the range, coverage and quality of nutrition and health services to target groups through improvements in the design and implementation of software systems, training for health and nutrition workers, provision of health referral services, and increasing the availability of medicines and equipment for maternal and child health; (b) communications, to provide innovative approaches and new messages to increase demand for the full range of project services and provide health and nutrition education; (c) community mobilization, to promote greater community ownership of ICDS services and involvement in meeting program objectives of better health and nutrition and women's and adolescent girls' development schemes; and (d) project management, monitoring and evaluation, to manage, monitor and evaluate the project and conduct operations research to test innovative activities and improve aspects of project design. The project will also include actions to strengthen ICDS among tribal populations.