Being the youngest in the family, Jibon is the apple of the eyes of the family members. He is now 19 months old and from being severely stunted, he has gradually improved, growing up to being moderately stunted.

Living in an extended family has been a blessing for Jibon. There is always somebody around to look after him, while his mother is busy taking care of his elder brothers. Being a day labourer, his father can not give enough time to Jibon and his brothers during the day. So the aunt and grandmother step in to take care of Jibon. He is being healthier day by day and seems to play around merrily all day long. His mother discovered that he loves to eat nutritious foods like egg, milk and khichuri (a food prepared by the mixture of rice, lentils and vegetables), so it has become a regular item on the menu to stimulate his appetite.

Jibon’s parents realised they needed to improve their baby’s health, when he was measured by Max Foundation staff and diagnosed as severely stunted. The mother then started attending the courtyard sessions of the Community Health Promoter, to understand how they could contribute to ensure a healthy growth of Jibon and his brothers. Being encouraged the parents decided to save money to build their own hygienic latrine the following year, invested in a Max Water Basin, and started getting used to washing hands with soap regularly. These healthy practices brought about an enormous change in the health and well being of all the family members.

To explore more on Jibon’s healthy upbringing, follow his stories and see how he grows up, up, up.