The women in Mehma Sawai were having a lot ofissues with their health, but with the Primary HealthCentre located 4 km away and without transport,they sat back and ignored it.

Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease – the Punjabidiet and lifestyle were slowly wreaking havoc, withthe prevalence of non-communicable diseaseincreasing day by day.

Ambuja Foundation decided to do something about it – establishinga Health & Nutrition Centre in the heart of the village,to act as a focal point for educating people aboutfood and health.

Renovating a place provided by the panchayat,activity commenced with a variety of sessions. Runby Ambuja Foundation’s Community Health Volunteer, RajinderKaur, slowly foot traffic began to pick up as people’scuriosity got the better of them.

With an aim to change ingrained eating practices,Rajinder also took to the streets – going door to doorto distribute seeds for kitchen gardening to ensuremore fresh green leafy vegetables in the daily diet.

And the strategy has been working. Jasveer Kaurwas a widow trying to survive on a monthly pensionof Rs. 1500. Jasveer Kaur regularly skipped mealsand could not afford to buy vegetables – herhemoglobin levels plummeting as a result, puttingher into the ‘high risk’ category. She kickstarted akitchen garden, eats more greens and today shebrisk walks for 1 hour per day. And she has seenradical changes in her health.

The centre has become an integral part of thecommunity, with regular street plays, sports events,and rallies to keep health at the top of mind ofcommunity members.

The Mehma Sawai Centre is just 1 of 2 Ambuja Foundation Healthand Nutrition Centres in Bathinda, with plans to rollout 2 more in the coming year. And, if the minds,behaviour and health of rural Punjabi women can bechanged, then anything is possible!