Sri Vijaya Puram, Feb. 26: The Directorate of Social Welfare, A & N Administration, successfully organized a series of men Streaming activities across various ICDS Projects in Urban, Ferrargunj, Rangat, Diglipur, and Nicobar under Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, with the objective to break gender stereo types in early childhood care and development.
A total of 26 activities were conducted across multiple Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), with the enthusiastic participation of 2065 fathers. The initiative aimed at strengthening fathers’ engagement in child development, nutrition, health, and shared care giving responsibilities.
The major activities conducted included:
Buddy Father Initiative: Promotes shared parenting and the active involvement of fathers in maternal and child health and nutrition.
Papa Ki Rasoi: Fathers prepare nutritious local recipes and learn about age-appropriate complementary feeding practices.
DIY Competitions: Fathers create educational toys using local and recycled materials to support early childhood stimulation and strengthen father-child bonding.
Nutrition Relay Race: Interactive team-based races, sports activities, and group events designed to encourage father-child participation while reinforcing key nutrition and health messages.
Annaprasan Ceremonies: Fathers initiate complementary feeding by ceremonially feeding the first semi-solid meal at six months of age.
Godh Bharai with Fathers: Fathers participate in traditional ceremonies and receive guidance on maternal nutrition and care during pregnancy.
First 1000 Days Awareness Sessions: Sensitization on maternal nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, immunization, growth monitoring, and prevention of anemia and malnutrition.
The Directorate of Social Welfare has invited every father and male family member in the Islands to join this inspiring journey and become a hero in their child’s development. To honor this commitment, the Directorate will officially recognize the most dedicated fathers at the State Level for which the Department has urged fathers to reach out to the nearest Anganwadi Centre (Mukhya Sevika), CDPO Office to share ideas and join upcoming activities.