Most women in India deal with iron deficiency and 1 in 2 women are anaemic and they possess the risk of passing it onto their children when carrying them for nine months. Project Streedhan, a public health initiative by DSM to tackle iron-deficiency among women in India, has launched a new campaign to raise awareness that anaemia – suffered by more than half of all women in the country – can have serious consequences for a mother-to-be’s unborn child. The new ‘Godhbharai’ campaign emphasises the importance of iron consumption during pregnancy and is the latest in DSM’s anaemia-awareness campaign, which first began in 2019, to bring attention to this unseen consequence of women’s health.
Streedhan Campaign
The campaign is consciously timed after Mother’s Day 2022 to make all mothers-to-be aware and encourage them to invest in their health to protect the health of the unborn child.
This new campaign focuses on a healthy and an “Anaemia Mukt” mother-to-be. A follow-up to the previous 2 iconic Streedhan campaigns, that garnered over 21 million views till date, the new rendition aims to spark conversations about the importance of investing in iron as a critical nutrient to help improve and maintain a mother-to-be’s health. The film beautifully captures a Godhbharai where a mother-to-be is endowed with all worldly gifts, but her heart says, “Mori tamanna, Heera na Panna, Lohe ka mohe la de re gehna…” Delicious visuals of iron-rich fruits and vegetables are showcased as an allegory for expensive ornaments, through a soulful rendition of this verse. This campaign seeks to differ from the usual inter-generational cycle but instead focuses on the “mother-to-be” and how she can break this cycle by investing in her health and preventing anaemia for the sake of her unborn child.
About The Campaign
The brand took upon the initiative to encourage women to take care of themselves and prioritise their health over most things. Women’s health is often neglected even though it requires to be given proper attention especially at the time of pregnancy when the woman is caring, feeding and looking after 2 human bodies, her and the baby. The brand roped in to-be mom and Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor who has actively spoken about women’s health and the issues faced by them and the flagbearer of wellness for women. As a to-be mom Sonam understands the needs of a mother and can truly understand the depth of the cause making her apt for the role.
Speaking about Project Streedhan, B Rajagopal, President – DSM India, said, “India’s challenge with anaemia is a crucial barrier to social development. We launched the Project Streedhan series to help people understand the extensive prevalence of anaemia and therefore the importance of investing in iron to improve health. With this new Godhbharai campaign, we take the Streedhan message one step further and focus on the woman as a “mother-to-be” and how investing in her health can prevent anaemia and protect the health of her unborn child. We hope to trigger conversations about the issue and support the national thrust around the importance of iron and folic acid supplementation.
A Word From The Brains Behind Streedhan
Swati Bhattacharya, Creative Chairperson, FCB India, who conceptualised the campaign said, “A country that worships women as avatars of Durga and Shakti has often missed giving attention to her nutritional needs. Playing Annapurnas for others, our women tend to ignore their health and nutritional necessities. Iron deficiency in women is possibly the most common nutritional issue in India and its impact on maternal and foetal health is a cause of extreme concern. Project Streedhan sought to bring focus on the appalling levels of awareness of anaemia in women with the first campaign (2019) that successfully and creatively introduced the idea of iron deficiency in women and the need to address it.”
Commenting on the campaign, Chandni Shah, COO at Kinnect, said, “Kinnect is proud to be part of a campaign that creates awareness around a burning issue like Anemia. Since its inception, Project Streedhan has been an eye opener for people. Most of us do not know how Anemia ravages the nation today and affects 1 out of 2 women. For a brand like DSM, Mother’s Day becomes an important occasion to initiate conversation around women’s health and nutrition. To highlight Mothers-to-be, who are often forgotten from popular Mother’s Day narratives, is a masterstroke!
The elements of the campaign have been chosen carefully to reach the intended audience of mothers-to-be – reaching them through a powerful film and social media messaging, along with on-ground outreach activities among key stakeholders like Gynaecologists, Nutritionists, Health Clinics and Swasthya Sewa Kendras.
This article is in partnership with Project Streedhan.