| Abstract: | The current infant mortality rate (IMR) in India is 80 per 1000 live births. The rate is Orissa, India, however, is 126/1000. Tikabali is a poor, rural block in Phulbani district, Orissa, of 44,000 people living in 144 villages. Research conducted jointly by the Family Planning Foundation of New Delhi and the International Development Research Center, Canada, found the high rate of infant mortality to be caused by the following factors in order of descending importance: maternal malnutrition, morbidity during pregnancy, low birth weight babies, labor complications, the poor health of one child, inadequate supplementary feeding, lack of immunization, unsafe drinking water, poor housing, and low income. Efforts began in 1992 to strengthen the delivery of primary health care service, especially the delivery of maternal-child health care and family planning counseling, and to motivate people to undertake agro-based income generation schemes. 44 trained, full-time Village Mobilizers (VM) are currently working in teams of one male and one female each with an average population of 1000 each to realize these objectives. The VM are from the local villages. A cooperative rapport has successfully been created with village residents who are genuinely interested in the work of the VM. Villagers now realize that a high rate of infant mortality is not only a health problem, but is related to the socioeconomic and educational background of a community. Little progress, however, has been made in increasing the level of women's literacy. Female literacy in the block is as low as 4% and general literacy is as low as 16%. The work of the VM continues. |
