“Godh Bharai” – Baby Showers as Training for Pregnant Women in India
On Monday I visited Holumbi Khurd, a colony outside of New Delhi, India. On the edge of India’s agricultural riches and in the shadows of a new industrial complex in North Delhi, many of Holumbi Khurd’s residents were relocated here from other urban slums slated for demolition. Life for everyone is rough to say the least, including for women and children.
Prenatal health and childhood nutrition are key issues in this district, and NGOs such as Child Survival India have an uphill battle to prevent early child deaths. One way in which Child Survival India’s staff educates young pregnant women is by leveraging the “Godh Bharai,” a traditional baby shower ceremony. Such tactics are a way to build trust without appearing to be didactic lectures from yet another pushy group of outsiders.
During our brief visit, three young pregnant women received a bevy of gifts from their neighbors. Included in the gifts were nutritious foods such as legumes, dark leafy greens and certain fruits, each of which a peer introduced to the women with lessons on why these foods were important. Our visit was brief, but I was able to film a short bit on my iPhone while they broke out in song. The women, of course, looked beautiful.
About The Author
Leon Kaye
Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com. Based in California, he specializes in social media consulting and strategic communications. A journalist and writer since 2009, his work has appeared on Triple Pundit , The Guardian's Sustainable Business site and has appeared on Inhabitat and Earth911. His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Areas of interest include the <a Middle East, sustainable development in The Balkans, Brazil and Korea. He was a new media journalism fellow at the International Reporting Project, for which he covered child survival in India during February 2013. Contact him at leon@greengopost.com. You can also reach out via Twitter (Leon Kaye) and Instagram (GreenGoPost). Since 2013, he has spent much of his time in Abu Dhabi, UAE, working with Masdar, the emirate's renewable energy company. He lives in Fresno, California.
