Goodknight kick-starts awareness programme for child health and development in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Aug 18: In the run-up to World Mosquito Day (Aug 20), Goodknight, India’s leading mosquito repellent brand from the house of Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL), embarked on a social program to spread awareness around child health and how disease-causing mosquitoes can impact child’s well-being. This awareness initiative will be carried out in a total of eight Indian states– Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and is currently being executed through door-to-door conversations in Orissa, explaining the extent and intensity of vector-borne diseases. Vector-borne disease cases in Orissa witnessed a sharp rise in 2021. As per National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), the state reported 25503 malaria cases and 7548 dengue cases. This spurt in cases has led to cautions across the state to avert a rise in 2022.  The awareness program is part of Goodknight’s efforts under its campaign ‘NeendokoNazarnalage’. The initiative is to educate parents about how uninterrupted sleep can negatively impact a child’s overall well-being and development. Through this initiative, Goodknight aims to reach out to over 18 lakh people in India.  Each household visit includes an informational pamphlet distribution and personal interaction as part of the on-ground activity. Goodknight has observed a positive response with high engagement from people wishing to switch to safer, smoke-free mosquito repellents. The campaign plans to include the rural community healthcare network of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA workers), Anganwadi workers and midwives. This is being done to specifically reach out to mothers with little kids vulnerable to the ill effects of mosquitoes and repellents. They will be invited to attend discussions aimed at spreading awareness about the importance of nutrition, vaccination and uninterrupted sleep for the growth and overall wellbeing of children.