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    Sisu Samarakshak: Bridging the gap between high-tech India and the rural poor

    © UNICEF/India/2004/Varada

    Unaware of her needs as a new mother, 25-year-old Gunamma did not pay much attention to her health during her first pregnancy. She worked very hard every day and didn’t eat properly. Her child, delivered at home, was a low-birthweight baby.

    Gunamma’s situation is not unique. Despite India’s reputation for high-tech sophistication, almost one third of the country’s children are underweight at birth – a condition that threatens newborns’ chances for healthy growth, and even their survival.

    Across India, UNICEF has invested in placing life-saving knowledge in the hands of mothers and those who work with them. In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, where about one third of children under five are underweight, a new intervention called Sisu Samarakshak (Child Protector) is helping bridge the gap between high-tech India and the rural poor.

    Developed by UNICEF and partners, Sisu Samarkshak (SSK) was piloted in cooperation with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh and Hewlett-Packard India. The project is one example of how cooperation with the public and private sectors can put the benefits of technology into the service of the poor, a target of Millennium Development Goal 8.

    A new kind of teacher

    Through computer stations located in their villages, Sisu Samarakshak (SSK) allows rural communities in Andhra Pradesh to access basic childcare information on topics including care during pregnancy, newborn care, breastfeeding, hygiene and sanitation.

    Designed with input from rural participants, the messages are relevant and easily understood. The program is also easy to navigate through a touch screen or a mouse, and its layout is picture-led and highly graphic with audio guides in several languages, making it accessible to all.

    The software program was piloted in 70 locations in Chittoor District. The district administration has now installed SSK in 16 villages – reaching out to about 1,000 women per village. Kadapah District, meanwhile, has conducted training for community-service providers using the software and is working towards its installation in the entire district.

    Visible effects

    SSK is already giving community health workers up-to-date information and changing behaviour. “Nine months back, when SSK was installed in my village, a new world of information and knowledge opened up for me, as well as for the entire community,” says Rama Devi, a voluntary change agent for her village in Chittoor District. “SSK has helped change many old myths I held when I was rearing my children.”

    Where SSK is available, more women are also seeking medical consultation. “We are seeing a sudden increase in rural women now registering themselves in hospital for regular consultation with auxiliary nurses,” says Mrs. P. Geetha, a health and community coordinator in Chittoor. “Over the past eight months, out of the 37 pregnancies in our area, 34 women chose to deliver in hospital.”

    In recognition of the simplicity of its messages and ease of navigation, SSK received the Manthan Award in 2005 in India and the 2005 World Summit Award in e-Health at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).

    The NASSCOM Foundation, supported by NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies), the leading information technology association of India, is now working with UNICEF to translate Sisu Samarakshak into several regional languages.

    Gunamma can attest to the benefits of using SSK. During her second pregnancy, a health worker encouraged her whole family to access the program. This time, her mother-in-law made sure Gunamma had healthy food and her husband insisted that she have the second delivery at the local hospital. And the family welcomed a healthy baby boy, weighing 3 kilograms.

    Note: Some country-specific information was provided by UNICEF country offices or drawn from UNICEF country office annual reports.

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