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Authors: Menaka BV, Shayari Nag, Sweta Dash, Jith JR- The George Institute for Global Health, India Mobilising for Care: A Bengaluru Mahila Aarogya Samiti’s Fight for an Aanganwadi Centre In the Mahila Aarogya Samiti (MAS) meetings in Pillaganahalli, the members –female residents of the slums – dedicate their time and energy to long conversationsaround how even the domestic problems are not solely personal and private. Theseconversations eventually culminate in underscoring the need for and the ways toconnect women’s domestic problems with the overall health and well-being of thecommunity. In one of the initial MAS meetings in May 2024, when asked about the problems they faced and what they would want to collectively work to address and solve, the topic of Aanganwadi centres emerged as a critical concern. “There are so many kids in our community, but we get no facilities from the Aanganwadi. Without the Aanganwadi centre, our kids are just roaming in the streets instead of learning and playing in an Aanganwadi,” said one of the members. Another member corroborated this feeling and added,  “Even the nearest Aanganwadi centre is too far, so none of us uses it. Our children don’t get meals from there, and we never receive any important updates on time.” MAS Meeting at Pillaganahalli An Aanganwadi centre (AWC) is established under India’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme as a community-based solution for maternal and child health and welfare. It delivers essential health, nutrition, and early education services to children under 6 years, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. Additionally, AWCs are tasked with providing daily meals, growth monitoring, vaccinations, preschool education, and health counselling, directly combating malnutrition, infant mortality, and educational gaps. “Our children spend their days playing under the scorching sun, and we struggle just to keep them indoors. Without a safe place for them, we, women, cannot even stepout to work. But with an Aanganwadi centre around, we could have the option of leaving our children in good hands and focus on earning a living,” said one of the women. Others in the meeting further explained that with children at home, even daily household chores become difficult to manage, and their carework responsibilities increase in countless ways. Our team assured them that the MAS would address their concerns by gathering more information about establishing an Aanganwadi and providing updates at the next meeting. I dug further to know about the Aanganwadi system and discussed the matter with Venkatesh, my senior at the SIEDS, one of the partner organisations for the TGI-COMPLUS team. I learned that, behind every Aanganwadi, lies a carefully organised system. At the local level, an Aanganwadi Worker (AWW) is typically a local woman trained in childcare and health who runs daily operations like teaching preschoolers, distributing nutritional supplements, and tracking children's growth. She is assisted by an Aanganwadi Helper (AWH) who manages meals and cleanliness. Overseeing 20-25 centres each, a Supervisor conducts periodic checks, reviews records, and mentors the AWWs to ensure quality at the AWCs. At the district level, there exists a Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) who functions as the administrative and financial decision-maker to approve new centres, allocate resources, and steer policy implementation. Venkatesh happened to have contact with the CDPO for the Pillaganahalli area. He promised to check her availability, but also suggested that the women draft a formal request letter. The next MAS meeting was thereby dedicated to drafting this letter together with the women, detailing the challenges faced without an AWC and the potential benefits of establishing one. The draft was read aloud to the group, their feedback was noted and incorporated, and the letter was signed by the members to formalise the community’s appeal. We managed to get a meeting with the CDPO in October. Five women from the Pillaganahalli MAS accompanied me and two other representatives from SIEDS to this meeting that afternoon. We had to wait for a long time at their office. The women grew increasingly anxious, worrying about their children returning from school. When we finally met with the CDPO, one of the MAS members explained their situation and emphasised how having an AWC nearby would help children and their mothers. The CDPO seemed to acknowledge the concern, but she laid out the challenges: Setting up AWCs was no cakewalk. AWCs require government land for permanent operation under ICDS guidelines, and there was none available in that area. MAS members meeting the CDPO regarding the AWC in Pillaganahalli The only glimmer of hope, we thought, was the solution she proposed. If the community could identify a rentable location meeting the ICDS standards, her officewould inspect it, and the Government would cover the rent through ICDS funds, she assured us. We set out to find a space to set up an AWC for the women of this MAS. We also made a list of 65 children eligible for attending the soon-to-be established AWC. Filled with hope and determination, the next MAS meeting was dedicated to discussions about the requirements for an AWC. Soon after, the women identified five vacant rental houses in Pillaganahalli; they shortlisted two of these based on essential criteria such as adequate seating space for children, water supply, toilet facilities, and a secure compound. Community’s attempt to find vacant rental houses in Pillaganahalli We promptly informed the Department of Women and Child Development, which agreed to conduct an inspection. Eager to make a strong impression, the women even cleaned one of the houses themselves: dusting, sweeping, and mopping every corner. However, the owner of the selected house refused to rent it out after learning that the Government would provide him only ₹4,000 per month as rent with no advance payment.  The women in the MAS meeting and the SIEDS representatives felt disappointed and frustrated due to this refusal, as did I. But, I felt we should keep trying. I accompanied another representative from SIEDS to meet an influential local leader who works closely with the area’s MLA. This man, despite his limited knowledge of vacant rental buildings, committed to

When Communities Come Together, They Win Residents of Parsiwadi in Ghatkopar, Mumbai have succeeded in getting a water pipeline laid in their area — a hard-won victory after years of waiting. With support from COMPLUS, local committees were formed last year, the community was mobilised, and persistent efforts were made to engage with authorities. Their collective voice made the difference — and the work finally began.In the bustling metropolis of Mumbai, where skyscrapers stand tall and the economy thrives, many communities struggle with basic necessities. One such neighborhood is Parsiwadi in Ghatkopar. It is a small, closely-knit community primarily made up of lower-income workers such as auto and taxi drivers, office boys, and reception staff. Homes here are modest, built with load-bearing brick structures and aluminium sheets, and access to sanitation is limited, with most residents relying on community toilets. Against this backdrop, an inspiring story of resilience and collective action has emerged. Under the COMPLUS project, the Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC), has formed area committees across ten neighborhoods in Mumbai. These committees, composed of trained community volunteers , tackle a range of issues—from health education and monitoring child health to liaising with local authorities to resolve systemic problems. The core philosophy of COMPLUS is simple yet powerful: empower communities to drive solutions from the ground up. The committee in Parsiwadi was formed last year. Its members and work reflect the historicity of the area. It’s a settlement historically owned by the Parsi community, and is made up of several chawls, each with its own unique name and character. Over time, people began migrating and settling here under the pagdi system. Today, the community is diverse. This shows in the membership of the committee as only two of them hail from Mumbai, the rest come from various parts of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The committee was established to address pressing local concerns, particularly around water, sanitation, and health—issues that are deeply felt due to the high prevalence of disease in the area. Initial insights came from conversations with the local shakha pramukh (community head) The shakha pramukh is the local party member and Medical Officer of Health (MOH), which provided leads on the history and current challenges of the community. As the team engaged further, they began holding regular meetings with local women, who offered crucial inputs. The community identified water and sanitation as key issues, with other healthcare issues including access to quality public healthcare services (PHCs). With just one water connection for every five households and unreliable supply from the Water Department, the residents installed a motor themselves to regulate water flow. Water starts circulating from 3:30 p.m. onwards, but residents still rely on buckets and a shared community toilet, which remains unhygienic. The water pressure was too low and duration for receiving water wasn’t enough. The committee, which covers 70 households, continues to push for improved services and dignity for the residents of Parsiwadi. Last year, COMPLUS field staff Bhagyashree Kadam and Bapu Gavthe began engaging with the community and formed a health committee consisting of women. In one meeting, they discussed hygiene practices, emphasising the importance of handwashing and keeping utensils clean. However, participants raised a critical issue—they didn’t receive enough water to maintain such hygiene standards. This concern resurfaced in subsequent meetings. We learnt that one of the most pressing challenges faced by the residents of Parsi Wadi was water scarcity. Until early 2022, piped water supply had been sufficient, but in the months that followed, water pressure declined dramatically, leaving families struggling to meet their daily needs.“The water isn’t enough to fill more than four to five buckets a day. A household has to manage bathing, washing utensils, washing clothes, and hygiene within this. If a household has 4-5 members, how will this be enough?” said Kadam. As water availability dwindled, even the community toilets suffered, making sanitation an urgent concern. Lives of women were hampered. They had to set aside all their engagements to fill water. Repeated complaints to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) revealed that the old water pipes needed replacement. However, this solution came with a significant hurdle—the roads, not just in Parsi Wadi but also in the surrounding localities, needed to be dug up. Residents of unaffected areas resisted the work, reluctant to deal with the temporary disruption. Gavthe, put it in perspective. “The roads in the area are very narrow. It is difficult to move about if the road is dug up. People also fear that their own sewer and water pipes may break.” “People in slums have to fight for every basic need. It’s been four years since our area’s proposal was passed, yet no work has begun. Just next door, in Mukund Colony, the high rises get water on the top floor — and we don’t get any on the ground. We need water to cook, to wash — but where do we store it in our tiny homes? How many drums can we possibly keep? And if we don’t use it in two days, it starts to smell. This is not just inconvenience — it’s inequality,” said Prema The committee members took on the challenge head-on. As an immediate measure, to manage conflicts over water, the community formed smaller groups with a minimum of nine members. This arrangement helps households closer to each other coordinate and split water collection timings. For a long-term solution, they united the community, gathered documentation of previous complaints, and persistently approached the BMC. They used the letters and followed up every 15 days with the BMC officials. Women led the charge, visiting BMC offices repeatedly in groups, demanding action. Beyond bureaucratic engagement, the committee members also took on the crucial task of convincing neighboring residents to support the pipe replacement. “If no one takes action, then we will raise our voices ourselves — I will. Someone has to step up, so why not me? There are four or five women in this area who always come