Nine key indicators, crucial for realizing the project goals, have been identified and elaborated upon with data. Adolescent girls face more problems than boys, largely due to socio-cultural factors. Adolescent girls are deprived of adequate health care, good nutrition and opportunity for schooling. Stunted anaemic girls with inadequate knowledge of personal care, family planning or child rearing practices enter into marriage and motherhood, thus perpetuating the problems of malnutrition and poverty to the coming generation. Although women are the major actors in human resource development, they are neither adequately recognised nor supported by their families or the society.
Women represent the major segment of the poor, the malnourished and the illiterate.
The project was implemented in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh in four ICDS blocks, Gandhwani, Nalcha, Sardarpur and Tirla from December 1994 to January 1996. Through this project, young girls received training on aspects of self care, marriageable age and infant care. WFP is increasingly focusing its attention towards women's development in the most deprived parts of the country. Strengthening early childhood care and development was a crucial element of the project. In 1994 WFP began to explore the possibility of producing a blended food in India.