Kanku a two year old girl from Malariya village in Badgaon block, has a story similar to a number of other children of her age. She was underweight at the time of her birth. At the age of 2 she weighted only 4 kgs. The bal shakhi of the village, Ratan met Kanku’s family as soon she came to know about her. Ratan spoke to Kanku’s mother and explained to her about the proper feeding practices for her daughter to be healthy.
However after two visits, Ratan found out that Kanku did not show any improvements. She spoke again to all the family members. After much consultation Ratan was able to motivate them to take Kanku to the district hospital for treatment and further advise.
The family members agreed to do so only because Ratan offered to accompany them to the hospital. Kanku was taken to the pediatric division of the district hospital. She was immediately admitted in the malnourishment treatment center. After a week, Kanku was discharged. Ratan did regular follow up on Kanku’s improvements by visiting her family regularly. Gradually her health improved and she began to gain weight. She started laughing, talking and playing a little. Kanku’s parents are very thankful to Ratan for her timely support and persistence on their daughter’s health.
