School Health Annual Report Programme (SHARP), a Delhi-based national NGO, has launched its 'Child Health and Women Empowerment Programme' at Kumar Shala, Bakrol in Anand District of Gujarat with the association of the state government under the mission of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan.

To focus on school health, the government of Gujarat has declared this year (2008) as 'Healthy School Children' year under its Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan mission. To strengthen this mission, SHARP in association with District Education Council and CRC Bakrol has launched a school health check-up program.

The beneficiaries of this project will be the underprivileged children of the Municipal school in Bakrol. Under this project, health check-up will be conducted for all the students and the collected health data will be stored at the SHARP repository. It will be updated regularly by follow-up check-ups. The health profile of each child will be available on SHARP NGO website at www.schoolindia.org. The children can assess their health profile through an ID number allotted to them on their 'SHARP Smart Card'. A 'School Health Analysis' report will be prepared school wise.

On the basis of this school health analysis, special camps for mothers will be organised where they will be given education regarding various health issues like malnutrition, sanitation and hygiene, food adulteration and other issues related to the day-to-day health of their child. The mothers of the students will be encouraged to make self help groups (SHG) with the help of Sakhi Mandal Scheme and will be trained to make healthy snacks for children, which will improve their nutritional status. The extra production can be marketed at a local level. This will increase the income generating activities for women and will also help to overcome the problem of malnutrition.

Urvashi Pande, state co-ordinator-Gujarat, SHARP, said, "The objective of this programme is to promote positive health by early diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of deficiency and to educate mothers of these children on various issues like problems of malnutrition, unhealthy diet, food adulteration, sanitation and personal hygiene."

"Health is wealth and let our school children enjoy good health with good education," she concluded.