Celebrate our #Changemakers
Changemaker Story
Avindra Kirkarne
Auxiliary Nurse Midwife, Chhindwara district
I am an ANM in Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh. I manage the Sawanga sub-centre and provide health services to five villages. I have been an ANM for 13 years now.
Even as a young girl, I have wanted to help others. I love my country and want to give back. Becoming an ANM enabled me to help people in the remotest of villages. While the rich and educated can avail of proper health services when they are sick, I believe underprivileged people need greater attention. Due to the mining region, some of my villages are very small, dispersed, and accessible only by foot. But I ensure that even if there is one child left, I visit the house to vaccinate the child.
Antara Foundation’s efforts enabled me to improve my skills and serve my beneficiaries better. For example, I learnt how to identify people most at risk and give them treatment on time. I learnt how to create village maps and use that to improve my workplan. I learnt how many cases can be managed at the village level itself.
Shambhavi with her mother, after receiving medicines and nutritional food from the ANM
Recently, I found an extremely malnourished child, Shambhavi. She was 16 months old and weighed only 7.5 kg. A child that age should weigh at least 11 kg. I was able to identify this underweight child promptly along with my ASHA and Anganwadi Worker. We are now giving her the essential medicines (e.g., multi-vitamin tablets, iron syrup, Zinc ORS) and nutritional food as per the government program. She is doing much better over time. I’m really happy I could help her.
Along with my team, I make sure I deliver quality services to all beneficiaries, and improve the health of our villages.
Antara International is a non-profit registered in the US, with an aim to mobilize funds for deploying large-scale public health innovations. Our focus is preventive health especially within the domain of maternal and child health, and nutrition. Currently, Antara International’s funds are used to support on-ground activities of its partner organization, The Antara Foundation, a non-profit registered in India.
Read more about Antara Foundation's work in India here:
antarafoundation.org