As part of Project Sukshema, KHPT has extended its interventions in select rural districts of Karanataka to improve maternal, newborn and child health outcomes in rural populations through the development and adoption of effective operational and health system approaches within the NRHM. This involved working directly and indirectly with pregnant women, infants and new borns and new mothers. Currently, there is a lack of awareness in the community on healthy practices and available services for the mothers and newborns through the continuum of care. Often, existing cultural practices and beliefs, and insufficiently informed decisions, become barriers to access MNCH services. Efforts are being made to educate pregnant women and their families, support the health functionaries in ensuring that women access health services across the continuum of care to ensure that mothers and children are safe.

KHPT also has begun working with adolescent girls in the few districts of Northern Karnataka. The need to intervene with this group emerged in KHPT’s experiences of working with sex workers and their children. Efforts have been made to understand the real challenges, dilemmas, struggles, aspirations, hopes and fears of the adolescent girls and facilitate processes to engage them in interventions that can empower this group to know their rights and decrease their vulnerability to exploitation both social, physical, sexual and emotional.