Child Malnutrition Drops in Malvani and Bhiwandi Health Programme
A community-led health and nutrition programme in Malvani and Bhiwandi has recorded notable improvements in child nutrition, immunisation rates, and maternal health over a five-year period, according to data released on Friday by the Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action (SNEHA).
The Mumbai-based non-profit presented the findings at its Dissemination Event 2026, themed "Sustaining Impact Through Partnerships." The programme covered approximately 60,000 people across 11,000 to 14,000 families in each locality, reaching roughly 4,500 children in Malvani and 2,500 children in Bhiwandi.
Between the 2021-22 and 2025-26 periods, stunting among children fell from 30% to 21%, while wasting dropped from 14% to 11%. The proportion of underweight children declined from 28% to 22%, and instances of developmental delay decreased from 18% to 7%. Over the same timeframe, full immunisation coverage rose from 79% to 93%.
Maternal health indicators also showed substantial progress. Maternal anaemia fell from 40% to 17%, early pregnancy registrations climbed from 45% to 76%, and institutional deliveries increased from 88% to 97%.
SNEHA implemented the programme in vulnerable neighbourhoods marked by low education levels, cramped living conditions, income limitations, and closely spaced pregnancies. Rather than operating parallel systems, the organisation worked alongside existing Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Anganwadi Centres, training local community volunteers to assist government frontline workers.
As the initiatives developed, SNEHA transitioned from direct intervention to a low-touch, community-led framework designed to encourage local ownership of health services. In areas under this model, stunting dropped from 31% to 27%, wasting fell from 11% to 9%, underweight cases declined from 28% to 25%, and full immunisation expanded from 84% to 92%.
The organisation also reported improvements in local Anganwadi operations under its Adopt an Anganwadi/Saksham Anganwadi drive. Mentored centres rated "Medium" or "High" increased from 13% to 53%, while those rated "Very Low" decreased from 24% to 3%.
Additionally, partnerships with municipal corporations widened formal maternal referral linkages from one civic body in 2007 to 10 by 2025, with referral tracking rising from 36% in 2014 to 84% in 2023.
Vanessa D'Souza, CEO of SNEHA, said the emphasis of the initiative was on ensuring that health improvements continued beyond direct intervention by reinforcing existing public systems and delivering context-specific technical support.
