Improving Lives in India through Educational Videos

Late last year, we received an email from Dr. Rupal Dalal, the Director of Health for the Foundation for Mother & Child Health in India. The foundation focuses on improving the health and nutrition of children living in some of the remotest parts of India.

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A rural village visited by the FMCH team in 2014.

Improving the health of children begins with parents, so the Foundation for Mother & Child Health begins educating mothers before their children are even born. The “Pregnancy Club” offers women educational sessions on topics including pregnancy, birth defects, and childbirth, as well as techniques for healthy breastfeeding. Dr. Dalal contacted us because she wanted to use Nucleus animations as educational tools.

The educational animations we sent to Dr. Dalal last year were immediately put to use in remote health centers and tribal villages across India. The animations have had a positive effect and have “empowered local Healthcare workers to talk about pregnancy,” states Dr. Dalal. The 6-month long Pregnancy Club program has helped raise awareness about the different phases of pregnancy and labor, the importance of folic acid during pregnancy, and the importance of facility-based delivery.

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A Nucleus animation is projected onto a wall.
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Students watch a Nucleus animation.

There were hurdles to overcome with using videos, however. Limited funding for laptops combined with an unreliable power grid meant that watching the animations might not always be possible. The team at the Foundation for Mother & Child Health came up with a creative solution: they used stills from the animations to create illustrated charts. This way, they can still have a visual educational tool, without the need for electricity or electronic equipment.

A nurse holds up an illustrated chart that uses Nucleus content to depict childbirth.
A nurse holds up an illustrated chart that uses Nucleus content to depict childbirth.

Dr. Dalal tells us that animations are really engaging to the students: “The videos are extremely helpful. Our pregnant mothers love it and are absolutely amused by it because they have never seen anything like this.” For our part, the team at Nucleus couldn’t be happier to be involved in such a worthy project!