UNICEF to fund IGNOU project for Anganwadi workers in MP

New Delhi, May 18 (UNI) UNICEF has agreed to finance and provide necessary technical support to a special pilot project launched by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to train 1000 anganwadi workers of Vidisha district in Madhya Pradesh.

Announcing this here today, IGNOU vice-chancellor Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai said Vidisha has been selected in view of high incidence of malnutrition there.

After Vidisha, the project would likely be launched in 30 other districts of the state, he added.

In this regard, a tripartite MoU between IGNOU, UNICEF and Department of Women and Children Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh, was signed for imparting continuous training to improve skills of the field level functionaries.

IGNOU will develop the course material, printing and production of audio and video as well as teleconferencing, providing and fixing a time slot in the TV and Radio programmes under the channel - Gyan Darshan and Gyan Vani.

The project would be a pilot training programme without involving the dislocation of the functionaries from their respective areas of operations. There would be a project cell to monitor and coordinate various activities at the Bhopal Regional Centre of IGNOU.

The components of the proposed training project was community health, infant care, innovative ways to combat malnutrition, nutrition during pregnancy, special needs of adolescent girls, anemia, special issues of women empowerment, violence against women, immunisation and water purification, an IGNOU press release here said.

UNI AG SP RN1603