We, Rotary Club of Pune Sinhgad Road and Bharat Vikas Parishad, Pune South Branch, are conducting a Project on Anaemia Free India at Sarita Vidyalaya (Sou. Sunderbai Rathi Vidyalaya), Pune on 14th July 2023 at 4.00 pm. Please attend. Our CSR Partner - VITESCO are adding this programme through Rtn Milinad Biwalkar. What is anaemia! Simply put, anaemia is a deficiency of iron in the blood (low Hb - haemoglobin content). Anaemia can be caused by various reasons. We are going to face iron deficiency anaemia which is the highest in our country. This is basically due to a decrease in iron content from the food that children eat. If we consume good quality food like green vegetables and iron rich food, we can maintain good haemoglobin level. Long-term effects of anaemia: • Decreased physical development- 1. Underweight girls. 2. Fatigue from little physical exertion. 3. Anaemia accounts for a significant percentage of maternal deaths worldwide • Low cognitive development- 1. Loss of concentration. 2. Impaired language and cognitive skills. 3. Decreased IQ. Grouping according to severity of impairment – • HB level 12 and above – non anaemic – no treatment • HB level between 12 and 8 – Moderately anaemic • HB level less than 8- severely anaemic Why this project is necessary: According to various government studies more than 50% women are anaemic in our country. of India. It is found that once a girl starts menstruating, the level of haemoglobin in her blood starts to decrease and it never recovers throughout her life. As per National Statistics (Ref:- National Health Survey-5 (2019-22) Below are the status of anaemia in the following groups Children aged (6 to 59 months) 67% Adolescent girls (15-19 years) 59% Pregnant women 52% Women of reproductive age 57% Project Outline: Detecting anaemia, diagnosing, providing appropriate treatment, improving hygiene and eating habits, monitoring progress through collaborative efforts, thereby reducing the prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia among school girls. Basics: • BVP and Schools will jointly implement this activity. • BVP will be responsible for all expenses required for this test and medication. There is no fee to be paid by the school or the participating girls/parents. Procedure: • All partners (schools, BVP, doctors) will meet the participating girls and their parents to explain the need for the program. The participants will be girls of 8th and 9th standard. • We will hand over consent forms and student information forms to parents. This form must be filled out by the child's mother or father to allow us to take a blood sample and test for anaemia. (This is required as the participant is a minor) • Once we receive the consent form from the participating girls, we will schedule a suitable date for all program collaborators to collect blood samples. A blood sample will be taken from a vein near the elbow using a needle by a trained technician in the BVP pathology lab. • We don't take finger prick blood because we want to test whole blood count and not just Hb. This tells the doctor more about the blood quality and if the participant is anaemic, we can use the blood drawn to do further tests like thyroid, serum ferritin etc. This helps in finding the cause of anaemia treatment. • Once the test results are available, the weak girls are identified. Within a week we will start giving iron supplement tablets, anthelmintic tablets and any other medicines if required. • Treatment will be for a minimum of 90 days. One tablet per day. • Tablets will be kept at school and given to school on normal school working days. Participants will be given some tablets to keep at home and use on Sundays and any non-school day. • We will conduct counselling sessions for anaemic girls during school hours with the approval of the school principal. • After completion of 90 days, blood test will be done again to know the exact status of Hb level in each participant. • Girls whose Hb is greater than 12 should follow the guidelines to remain non-anaemic. Required expectations from the school • Conducting meeting between parents and partners (School/BVP and doctors). • Allowing counseling sessions as needed (with prior permission from the school). • Manage the daily distribution of pills to anaemic girls through an agreed system. • Reporting "Absent" every day till the end of school hours so that our female volunteer can contact the parents to check if the girl has taken the medicine given at home. A mechanism for providing "absence" information can be discussed and agreed between the school and the BVP team. The total cost of this project is approximately Rs. six hundred per girl. It includes all pathological tests as well as iron supplement tablets and data management cost.