We a women based startup (Mamma Mills) aspiring to provide a climate smart friendly crop based weaning food product meant for babies and pregnant women and budding social entrepreneurs, have conducted a health camp with a well known hospital with a focus on diagnosing the rural women’s health especially anemia at the village of Immavu in the Mysuru district of Karnataka.
In the end we shared the same goals of women and children development as we focus on nutrition and the healthcare workers focusing on preventive healthcare of the mothers.
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Hi (Sorry, I don’t know the name), Thanks for sharing! This topic is super near to our hearts! Unfortunately, I am still struggling to understand the context. And till the time we do not have a complete understanding, we (many) can’t be able to contribute However, I know this is something amazing! 
Is there a website, where I can go and read?
Here is the translation into English for other’s benefit
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1 Can you elaborate on what makes your crop-based weaning food product ‘climate smart’?
2 What kind of crops do you use in your weaning food products? Are they locally sourced?
3 How does your product specifically cater to the nutritional needs of babies and pregnant women?
4 How are you addressing the problem of anemia among rural women through your products or initiatives?
5 Can you share more details about your partnership with the local hospital and the health camp you conducted?
6 What has been the impact of your health camp? Do you have any data or success stories to share?
7 how do you ensure the safety and quality of your products, especially considering they are meant for babies and pregnant women?
8 What kind of support or partnerships are you seeking to further your mission?
9 What challenges have you faced so far and what’s the plan for the next 3 to 5 years ?
Our product is a drought-resilient crop. It adapts to various
climatic conditions. It has very low irrigation requirements. Moreover, it
is a dairy-free product which in turn means less reliance on the livestock
sector. The crops doesn’t produce hazardous waste. Lastly, it has
higher area coverage. Hence, all these factors make our crop based
weaning product a ‘climate smart’ which contributes to overall greener
food system in the long run.
2) Mamma Mills uses Finger Millet and Green gram as the two main
macro ingredients in powdered form. They are purely organic in nature
and it is fortified with essential vitamins and minerals. We are sourcing
these raw materials from Organic Mandya.
3) Our product has USPs that can address the serious issue of
malnourishment in women and children.
Dairy-free: It ensures better iron absorption for women. It is also
suitable for lactose intolerant babies
Malted & Fortified: Better absorption of nutrients to address anemia,
stunting and
wasting
Protein-rich (green gram): Addresses severe malnourishment
amongst kids
Non-GMO: No toxins for the children and no exploitation of the millet
farmers
4) The issue of anemia amongst the rural women was at a very high rate
which was assessed when we organized the health camp recently. They
had access to the free generic medicines.
They were also counselled by the doctors on the nutritional requirements
which also included items like millets and legumes. The renowned
doctors on board also explained the attendees as to how they could
cook and consume millets on a regular basis and make it a part of their
lifestyle to live a healthier life. Their misconception on millet being a poor
man’s crop was clarified. Moreover, our product is fortified which makes
it rich in iron content and the doctors were enthusiastic enough in letting
know about how beneficial is our product to address this common yet
serious issue of anemia to the attendees.
5) Mamma Mills was in constant touch with the Motherhood hospital
team and few other hospitals as well. We also collaborated with the
Asha workers for sensitizing the rural women about the health camp.
Our Founder, Anitha Sadanand got connected to the PR team of
Motherhood hospital in organizing a successful health camp at Immavu
village.
The health camp was organized exclusively for rural women and
adolescent girls. We assisted the Asha workers and the hospital staff in
crowd management, communication with the local panchayats and
further awareness drives.
6) Our health camp was a success as over 1500 beneficiaries
participated in this initiative. They became more aware about the free
medications available for them. Moreover, the family members became
more aware of the unknown ailments amongst the women. Our
initiatives were highlighted in the local newspapers such as the
Prajanudi Patrike and the Mysuru Mithra. Our team was able to show the
link between anemia and underage pregnancies which was very
rampant in that rural area.
7) Mamma Mills not only ensures uniqueness but also ensures quality
over quantity. Our BIS
compliant product ensures a hygienic environment for production plus
the standards
followed that are prescribed for babies and pregnant women as per the
BIS Standards . Our product is tested and certified by the renowned
Government of India institute, CSIR-CFTRI.
Further our product is a non GMO and an organic one
which can reduce the risk of diseases. Lastly, it is a fortified product
which enhances the
nutritive value.
8) Since our product is a minimal viable one, it is ready to be
distributed on a wider scale. And this requires finances for the
machinery and basic necessary infrastructure. Further, we
want you to mentor us in rural food systems through our social
entrepreneurship events.
We can join hands in educating the rural youth on issues like
anemia, underage pregnancies, etc. Further, we would like you to
help us in rural upliftment and promoting sustainable
practices like treating waste water in our village. Rain Matter
Foundation can help us connect with Ossus Bio in this regard.
9) We have faced difficulty in getting finances to scale up our
product. All of our investments done so far have been bootstrapped.
Further, convincing the masses on using greener food
options like millets was an initial challenge. Finding the right type of
like-minded people to invest in a sustainable product is still an
ongoing task for us. We are looking forward to
address these concerns and overcome them at the earliest
possible.
Our plan of action will be exciting considering the fact that it is the
International Year of Millets as per the UN
Phase 1: Tapping the global market to enhance the income of the
farmers and catering to the vegan market. Educating the rural
masses on greener crop systems. Distributing the product to babies
and mothers.
Phase 2: Taking this heritage food to other age groups such as
the adolescents, athletes, the salaried class and the elderly
population.
Phase 3: Diversify the product line (Ragi energy drinks, Ragi Idli,
Dosa, Upma, etc).
Phase 4: Collaborating with like-minded organizations like
ICRISAT, UN, etc to promote millets and sensitize on local food
systems.
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