Vedanta Aluminium steps up to protect, promote & support breastfeeding in Odisha

Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminum, is undertaking a series of awareness sessionson breastfeeding practices for pregnant and lactating mothers in Jharsuguda and Kalahandi districts of Odisha during World Breastfeeding Week.

Themed on “Step up for Breastfeeding”, the sessions will be held in partnership with National Rural Health Mission, Vedanta Hospital (Lanjigarh) and MAMTA-Health Institute for Mother and Child. It seeks to build awareness on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of an infant’s life, provide access to improved caregiving practices for pregnant & lactating mothers in Lanjigarh and peripheral areas, and increase the level of awareness on nutrition during breastfeeding, and so on.

At Jharsuguda, the company is conducting awareness sessions at 125 Nand Ghars, which are modernised anganwadis that act as centres of woman and child development. At each of the Nand Ghars, ANM and ASHA workers and medical officers will impart knowledge on importance and best practices of breastfeeding to new mothers.

Similarly, in Lanjigarh (Kalahandi), the session will see doctors from the Vedanta Hospital at Lanjigarh and officials from National Rural Health Missionshare the benefits of breastfeeding, taking proper care of a child during feeding and for family participation in ensuring proper health of mother and child. The mothers shall also be given vitamin supplements to help maintain their health during the breastfeeding phase.
Vedanta Aluminium’s social interventions in the domains of quality education, sustainable livelihood, women empowerment, health, water and sanitation, community infrastructure reach out to over 130 villages in Odisha, benefiting more than 2.5 lakh people on an annual basis.