Health and Nutrition
Chaupal improves health and nutrition in northern Chhattisgarh, addressing malnutrition, maternal care, and healthcare gaps for vulnerable tribal families.
Northern Chhattisgarh, particularly Surguja and Surajpur, continues to face significant challenges in malnutrition, maternal health, and access to healthcare. The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are critical for growth and development, yet children aged 7 months to 3 years in remote Adivasi communities remain highly vulnerable due to poverty, food insecurity, migration, and limited awareness of proper feeding and care practices. As per NFHS-5, Surguja reports 29.4% stunting, 17.5% wasting, 7.6% severe wasting, and 30.6% underweight among children under five, underscoring the urgent need for focused interventions.
Access to healthcare is equally constrained, with distant and understaffed facilities forcing reliance on informal providers. Preventive care, early diagnosis, and management of diseases remain limited, while conditions such as sickle cell anaemia and other chronic illnesses add to the burden. Chaupal addresses these challenges through integrated, comprehensive community-based health and nutrition initiatives across northern Chhattisgarh.
Current Projects
Gender, Health and Nutrition Project
Chaupal is working to improve the health and nutrition status of children, adolescent girls, youth, and women from marginalized communities, with a special focus on Adivasi and PVTG populations. Implemented across 100 villages in Lundra and Lakhanpur blocks of Surguja district, the initiative strengthens access to public health and nutrition services through community engagement and capacity building, contributing to better maternal and child health outcomes. It also supports early childhood care through 20 crèches, benefiting around 300 children with nutritious food, health services, and development support.
Community Health Project
Chaupal is implementing a community health intervention in six Gram Panchayats of Lundra block in Surguja district, covering around 1,500 households from the Pahadi Korwa community across 35 remote hamlets. The initiative focuses on improving access to basic healthcare services, strengthening community awareness, and building local health support systems. It addresses challenges arising from limited infrastructure and dependence on informal healthcare providers, aiming to ensure better health outcomes for these vulnerable tribal communities.
Rural Creche Project
The Rural Crèche Program addresses child malnutrition, growth faltering, and child mortality by improving the nutritional status of highly vulnerable children aged 7 months to 3 years. Chaupal implements the initiative in the Surguja district through 118 rural crèches, reaching around 1,700 children. The program provides safe childcare spaces, four nutritious meals a day (including eggs), regular growth monitoring, health referrals, and early childhood development activities. It also supports working parents by offering reliable day care, contributing to better livelihoods and improved child health outcomes. Community ownership is strengthened through village-level crèche committees, ensuring effective functioning and sustained participation. Over 1,000 children have successfully graduated from the program.
NCD Pen Plus Project
The PEN Plus initiative strengthens care for complex chronic non-communicable diseases such as sickle cell anaemia, Type 1 diabetes, and congenital and rheumatic heart disease within government health facilities. Implemented in Surguja and Surajpur districts, it supports district hospitals and Community Health Centres to integrate long-term care into the public health system. The initiative focuses on training healthcare providers, simplifying treatment protocols, improving patient support through care coordination and peer groups, and promoting community awareness for better disease management.
