Hospital for Women and Children
In 1979, Dr. Devyani Dangoria with personal resources started the Dangoria Hospital for Women and Children in village Narsapur, Medak District, in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana State) to increase the health care outreach to the poor and needy. The Dangoria Charitable Trust was established two years later.
The 20 bedded hospital is located on 4 acre plot of land in a scenic spot on the edge of a forest, opposite a lake. It has an inpatient ward and a modern operation theatre, besides the outpatient ward. Rooms are available for the patient's relatives to stay.
Services provided :
- Antenatal and post-natal obstetrics, gynaecology clinics. The bi- weekly antenatal clinics are well attended by over 50 women. Caesarean sections and other surgeries are done transporting pateents to Hyderabad in emergency.
- Trained technician does routine laboratory tests. Pregnant women are tested for HIV infection.
- A pharmacy sells the required drugs on the premises.
- Maternal and child health and nutrition education is given to the women attending antenatal clinics and inexpensive nutritious complementary foods made by the women of Mahila udyog, DCT, are made available for sale
A friendly home shelters 30-40 elderly of both the genders. The demand is great since the charges are flexible and very reasonable and care very good. Several inmates are sick and infirm. Energy saving solar water heater has been installed.
Nutrition Security Programme
This programme was initiated by Dr Mahtab Bamji (Director grade scientist retd., National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad) in 1994, when she joined the Trust as Emeritus scientist. Effort is to develop strategies for improving health, food and nutrition security.
For health and nutrition security there has to be Awareness, and Access at Affordable cost to a balanced diet, (including right feeding practices for infants and children), safe drinking water, environmental hygiene, and primary health care for all. Over the years, DCT has developed successful strategies for: 1) health care delivery in rural areas through trained Women health and nutrition entrepreneurs and mobilisers, 2) sanitation – waste disposal, low cost latrines, and improved access to safe drinking water by preventing wastage, and storing bore well water in a cistern with 4 taps, 3) development of adolescent girls through science, technology and skill development and 4) Nutritionally sensitive and environmentally sustainable farming for promoting micronutrient security
The three A approach of creating Awareness, and improving Access at an Affordable cost, is adopted, with community participation. The findings are published (See the Annual reports and the list of publications).
Nutritionally promotive and environmentally sustainable farming for micronutrient security
Indian diets are qualitatively deficient in vitamins and minerals due to low intake of fruits, vegetables, pulses, millets and animal products. To increase the household availability of micronutrient- rich foods, agriculture diversification from water-guzzling crops like paddy and sugar cane, to nutritionally- oriented home-stead gardening, and cultivation of pulses and millets using green methods of farming, is being promoted. Backyard poultry using high egg yielding birds has also been introduced to improve household egg consumption. Health and nutrition education (behavioural change communication-BCC) forms an important component. Vermicomposting and botanical pesticides are also promoted. This approach improves household food security and helps environment by conserving water and chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The impact of education as assessed through Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) surveys of mothers with 6 to 24 months old children is very good. Though a family approach is used, women and adolescent girls are the major target.
Production and marketing of neem seed powder
In the village Chipalturti and PC Kunta one SHG each is producing and marketing neem seed powder to be used as bio pesticide and bio fertiliser. This activity has now been extended to one more village-PC Kunta.
Rural Hub for Food and Nutrition Security
The Hub has been established for wider dissemination to more villages, of “Nutritionally sensitive and environmentally sustainable farm- based approach” for improving food and nutrition security. Beginning was made with financial support from Tata Advanced System Ltd and Tata Lockheed Martin Aero structures ltd. Hyderabad. The programme is being continued with financial support from DCT, CYTEL (USA) and the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI).
A batch of 5 villages is covered over a period of six months. Families with pregnant woman and/ or mothers with 6 to 24 months old children are preferably targeted. Like in the earlier projects, educational intervention is done through focus group discussions and centralised and de-centralised, hands-on training. Teaching aids include, power point presentations, and conveying simple messages through pamphlets in Telugu. Impact is assessed through acceptance of farm technologies, (nutrition gardens, vermicomposting, use of botanical pesticides, and backyard poultry) and knowledge attitude, practice (KAP) surveys of the mothers with 6-24 months old children, to assess the impact of education.
During the COVID 19 pandemic centralised meetings could not be held. The problem was overcome by circulating pamphlets with messages in Telugu and involving the Anganwadi workers. Improved literacy among young women facilitated this approach.
Solar panels to keep animals away have been introduced.
Results show good acceptance of farm technologies like raising nutrition gardens, backyard nursery and backyard poultry with high egg-yielding birds. Initial and end-line KAP surveys done on mothers with 6 to 24 months old children show remarkable improvement in the mothers’ understanding of issues of food, nutrition, sanitation, common diseases etc. Family diet surveys show significant increase in the consumption of vegetables, particularly green leafy vegetables.
By way of different strategy to reach out, women registered with Self Help Group were targeted. Pamphlets in Telugu giving messages for Covid 19 appropriate behaviour besides health, food and nutrition security were sent through WhatsApp. Most women leaders fortunately have smart cell phones. For details please see recent publications and Annual reports of the Dangoria Charitable Trust. Hitherto 60 villages from 4 Mandals of Medak district, TG have been covered.
Feeding Minds to Fight Hunger and Promote Modern Biology in High School and intermediate College students
The objective of this project was to create awareness in high school and Jr. college students, on issues of health, food and nutrition security, through lectures by subject experts. In colleges recent advances in molecular biology was also covered. Four each, English medium rural high schools, 3 intermediate colleges (Bi Ph Chem grp), and 1 pharmacy college were targeted. Impact on change in knowledge was assessed through initial and final quiz after 4 months of intervention. While the impact on the understanding of health and nutrition was very good, there was about 60% improvement in the knowledge of basic molecular biology of college students. Comment: Molecular biology is making great strides. Indian colleges need to strengthen this subject in biology curriculum.
Food Processing cum Training Centre
DCT is running a Food processing cum training centre, under a registered society Mahila Udyog. Initially Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) Mysore provided technical expertise in setting up this centre with funding from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, GOI. The objectives are: to develop nutritious and convenience foods, prevent wastage of farm produce and generate employment for women. Women are trained in the preparation of these products. The products listed under Mahila Udyog are marketed.
Pilutla Wicks
Women in the village Pilutla have been trained to make two types of wicks. These are marketed in Hyderabad.
Awards
National productivity council of India award in the category of Micro food processing, 2009
- National productivity council of India award in the category of Micro food processing, 2009. The Department of Science and Technology, Government of India
- National Award of Rupees 10,00,000 for Women's Development Through application of Science and Technology in the institutional category for the year 2011, to Dangoria Charitable Trust. The award was given at a special function in Delhi, by Sri Jaipal Reddy, Minister for Science and Technology. Dr. Bamji received the award on behalf of the Trust.
- Dr. Devyani Dangoria and Dr. Mahtab S Bamji have received number of personal awards including the Living legend award of the International Union of Nutrition Scientists and more recently (2024) the Living legend award from the Marathi Vigyan Parishad award for Dr. Bamji. Dr. K Bhaskarachary who has recently joined DCT as advospr, received the Life time achievement award from ICAR Indian Institute of Millets research on 19.11.2024
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| Dr. Devyani Dangoria doing Satyanarayana katha on 1st Jan, 2025 at Home for the Aged | Meeting of Dr. Mahtab S Bamji and colleagues with the Principal and faculty of VIPER college at DCT campus on TLMAL Project | Director, Woman & Child Development, Govt. of Telangana, visit to Mahila Udyog food stall |
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| ICDS Celebration at Narsapur. Dr. Bamji spoke. | Initial Quiz of TLMAL project at ZPHS Boys school. | Final Quiz of TLMAL project at ZPHS Girls school. |
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| Lecture by Dr. Bamji to intermediate students of TWRJC Narsapur. | Lecture by Dr. Bhaskarachary, to school students of Boys High School Narsapur. | Lecture by Dr. Vijayasaradhy to intermediate students of TWRJC Narsapur. |
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| Lecture by Dr. Bamji to intermediate students (BIPc group) of Govt.Jr.college, Narsapur. | Sri P.V.V.S.Murthy introducing scientist to the HM and teachers of ZPHS Boys school Narsapur in connection with lecture arrangement to the high school students. | Training in food processing to ZPHS girls, Narsapur in DCT campus by K.V.Lakshmi, Mahila Udyog. |
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| Cyrus Mehta & family from USA –visit the DCT Home for the aged. | Food processing training centre | Visit of Medak Dist. Educational officer Sri. Radha kishan and other officials to ZPHS P.C.Kunta vegetable garden set up by DCT under TLMAL Project 2024-25. |
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| Vegetable garden set up with fence around at ZPHS P.C.Kunta under TLMAL project. | Vegetable garden established in TWRJC, Narsapur under TLMAL Project | M.Sc., Nutrition course participant from NIN, Hyderbad, visit to P.C.Kunta village for field exposure. Observing Neem seed pulverizer set up in the village |
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| Visit of MSc., Nutrition course participants from NIN, Hyderabad. | International Women’s Day celebration at DCT Campus, Narsapur | Dr. Swarna examining patients in the Out Patient clinic of DCT Hospital. |
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| Visit of DCT speakers to VIPER Pharmacy college Narsapur |