Women & Children
Join the 999 challenge: yoga and meditation

HEALTH AND WELL BEING OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Women’s health
Women and girls often face barriers to accessing adequate health care that considers their unique anatomy, physiology, and genetic differences from men. Women’s health issues and unique physiology are underrepresented in research and clinical studies. This disparity is even greater for women of color and marginalized populations. Women-specific health conditions can be related to pregnancy, infertility, hormonal imbalances, menstruation, or other gynecological issues. Like men, the most common cause of death among women is cardiovascular disease. Besides the traditional risk factors, women have gender-specific risk factors like autoimmune diseases, and pregnancy-related complications such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, preterm birth, and pregnancy loss. Ninety-four percent of all maternal deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries. Threats to women’s physical and emotional health also include violence. The World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 3 women globally have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. The healthcare system plays an important role in providing care to women who have experienced violence and referring them to additional support services. Women play a pivotal role in determining the health and diet of the family and children. Often the demands on women lead them to de-prioritize their own health needs. Efforts should be made to understand the barriers that face women and girls accessing adequate care and should be addressed in education on a healthy lifestyle and disease prevention.

Children’s health
Over the last few decades, significant progress has been made toward reducing maternal and child mortality rates. Yet, many low- and middle-income countries still have concerns about neonatal and child mortality rates, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. According to the World Health Organization, in 2020, 2.4 million children died within the first month of life. Preterm births, intrapartum-related complications, and neonatal infections are the primary cause of neonatal deaths. Deaths in children under five are associated with malnutrition and infections like pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria. Accidents and injuries are the leading cause of death in children ages 5 to 15. Non-communicable diseases (chronic respiratory diseases, acquired heart diseases, childhood cancers, diabetes, and obesity) are also emerging priorities in the global child health agenda. Despite lower COVID-19 infection rates, the pandemic adversely affected children’s physical and mental health due to school closures, disrupted routines, more time in front of digital screens, increased stress, and reduced physical activity. Obesity rates have increased compared to already concerning pre-pandemic levels. Many children missed their essential vaccinations during the pandemic, resulting in the risk of a surge in vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles. We aim to focus on continuing to lower the neonatal mortality rate among rural and disadvantaged communities, reduce the mortality and burden of illness among children under five, and promote a healthy lifestyle among children and adolescents.

Ways to participate in C20

Udhaharans

AYUDH – Global Youth Wing

Vidyamritam – Children scholarships
Technology enhanced Learning: AmritaRITE, OLabs, MedSIM, AyurSIM, AVIEW, VLab
Online Education – African batch of fully funded students in Amrita’s BCA degree
AmritaJSS – Skill Development and Adult Literacy
AmritaServe – Education, Skill Development, Learning Technologies
Inclusive Education: Amrita Orphanage, Amrita Institute for Differently Abled, Amrita Speech and Hearing Improvement School (ASHIS), Village Education Centers

Join the 999 challenge

The challenge is to practice 9 rounds of Surya Namaskar and 9 minutes of Meditation for World Peace daily for 9 days and then reflect on the impact it had on your life. The challenge highlights how yoga and meditation can have a major impact on mental health and physical well-being. Participants of the challenge have reported experiencing positive changes in their life outlooks, energy levels and overall sense of well-being. This, in turn, contributed to an atmosphere of peace within their schools and families. The goal is to reach 1 million people around the world by international yoga day, June 21st.

Share your experiences with 999

Now that you have completed your 9 days of Surya Namaskaram and prayers for world peace, we want to know about your experience! Please share your experience with the 999 challenge, let us know how it has impacted you mentally, emotionally, and physically. Your response can be written, or a video.

Chaupal C20

Each one of us influences the health of our society. The #YouAreTheLight campaign is a platform for all to share their experiences of health problems in society and suggest solutions to be included in our policy pact for the G20.

Events

We aim to widen the discussions on different facets of sustainable development goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being with policy building meetings and a series of public webinars and awareness campaigns that will take place throughout 2023. Join us for one of our upcoming events.

Sub-Working Group Coordinators

Dr. Saritha Shekhar

Amrita Hospital, Kochi


Contact us: wch.ihh.c20india@amrita.edu

Dr. Vinitha Prasad

Amrita Hospital, Kochi


Contact us: wch.ihh.c20india@amrita.edu

Core Committee Members

Dr. Shakuntala A Chhabr

Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, Maharashtra

Dr. N .K. Arora

The INCLEN Trust International

Dr. N. Subramonia Iyer

Freelance Consultant MCH

Dr. Smita D. Mahale

ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive & Child Health, Mumbai

Neeta Dhabhai

CHRD-SAS

Nita Bhandari

Centre for Health Research & Development, Society for Applied Studies

Karen Lacey, MS, RDN

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Devaki Nambiar

George Institute for Global Health

Sunita Taneja

Centre for Health Research & Development, Society for Applied Studies

Padmini Murthy MD

New York Medical College School of Health Sciences and Practice / American Medical Women’s Assn.

Vanita Suri

PGIMER, Chandigarh

Duru Shah

Cynaecworld

Piyush Gupta

University College of Medical Sciences

Andy Carmone

Clinton Health Access Initiative & Indigenous Health Solutions

Thushara Madathil

Amrita Hospital, Kochi

Allison Gilchrist

California State University

Prof. (Dr.) M. K. C. Nair, D. Sc.

Amrita Hospital, Kochi

Dr. Manorama Bakshi

Director, Consocia Advisory

Upcoming Events

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Message from the Chair, C20 India 2023

Our Inspiration

Amma sees the whole world as a flower. Each petal represents a nation. If one petal is infested with pests, it will affect the other petals as well. The beauty of the whole flower suffers. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to protect and nurture this flower. All living beings in creation are interdependent. The rhythm of Nature depends upon humanity. It’s necessary to maintain the rhythm of the mind and body for the sake of our health and lifespan, for the sake of humankind and Nature.
Amma,
Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi ❤️

Our Partners & Advisory Members

Contact Us

If You Have Questions About An Upcoming Event, Need More Information About C20, The Health Working Group, Or Anything Else, We'd Love To Hear From You.

Make your voice heard. Participate in our policy-building events with other health-focused CSOs.