Sri Vijaya Puram | February 26, 2026
The Directorate of Social Welfare, A&N Administration, organized a series of “Men Streaming” activities across various ICDS projects in Urban, Ferrargunj, Rangat, Diglipur and Nicobar districts under the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 initiatives, aiming to break gender stereotypes in early childhood care and development.
As part of the initiative, a total of 26 activities were conducted across multiple Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), witnessing the enthusiastic participation of 2,065 fathers. The programme sought to strengthen fathers’ engagement in child development, nutrition, health and shared caregiving responsibilities.
According to officials, several innovative and community-based activities were organized to promote active fatherhood. Under the Buddy Father Initiative, fathers were encouraged to take on shared parenting roles and actively participate in maternal and child health and nutrition.
In Papa Ki Rasoi, fathers prepared nutritious local recipes and learned about age-appropriate complementary feeding practices. DIY competitions were also held, where fathers created educational toys using local and recycled materials to promote early childhood stimulation and strengthen father-child bonding.
The Nutrition Relay Race featured interactive team-based races, sports and group activities designed to encourage father-child participation while reinforcing key nutrition and health messages.
Traditional ceremonies such as Annaprasan were also organized, where fathers ceremonially fed their children their first semi-solid meal at six months of age. Similarly, Godh Bharai ceremonies saw the participation of fathers, who were sensitized on maternal nutrition and care during pregnancy.
In addition, awareness sessions on the First 1000 Days highlighted the importance of maternal nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, immunization, growth monitoring, and the prevention of anemia and malnutrition.
The Directorate of Social Welfare has invited fathers and male family members across the Islands to actively participate in the initiative and play a meaningful role in their children’s development. The Department has also announced that the most dedicated fathers will be officially recognized at the State level. Interested fathers have been urged to contact their nearest Anganwadi Centre (Mukhya Sevika) or CDPO Office to share ideas and take part in upcoming activities.
