PAAS Foundation’s nutrition project began with a small pilot carried out in Serana Kals, a remote mountain village in Bagh, Azad Kashmir. In 2026, the project is set to expand in new directions. Overview of Pilot Project In 2025, PAAS ran a six month pilot community nutrition project in Serana Kals, Azad Kashmir and its environs. The objectives of the pilot project were to address malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency in local children while educating community women about the connection between nutrition and long term health.

 

Key Actions

● Focus group discussions were conducted with community women to understand dietary practices and perceptions

. ● Four local women were trained to assess children and educate the community about nutrition and health.

● Seventy children aged 0 to 8 years were assessed for height/length and weight and the results plotted on WHO growth charts.

● The community were reluctant to allow lab assessments so food frequency forms were developed to collect information from caregivers about children’s weekly dietary patterns and identify possible dietary deficiencies.

● Educational sessions on nutrition and breastfeeding were held for community women. Major takeaways

● All children fell in the normal range for weight for height/length on WHO growth charts showing that nutrition in the area is adequate in quantity, if not quality.

● No stunting or wasting was observed but as there were no lab assessments, there may have been micronutrient deficiencies that could not be identified. 

● Focus group discussions and food frequency forms indicated a lack of knowledge about nutrition, healthy cooking practices and safe food handling. They also revealed major lifestyle shifts in the last few decades, with community members moving away from traditional food growing practices and increased substitution of home prepared foods with packaged snacks of low nutritional value (such as chips and biscuits).

● Project results indicated the need for educational rather than therapeutic interventions in the Serana Kals community. In response, PAAS workers continue to conduct sessions for community women that are intended to create awareness about nutrition and health for children and women of childbearing age. Nutrition Project in 2026

● PAAS aims to initiate school kitchen gardens on PAAS school sites in Azad Kashmir to directly engage children and encourage healthier eating habits.

● The nutrition project is set to expand to the PAAS Hospital in Badin with a focus on providing micronutrients to children.

● PAAS workers will continue educational sessions on nutrition and health in Azad Kashmir and also provide information about food preparation and kitchen gardening.

● PAAS will introduce the nutrition project at the House of Light School in Pind Begwal, a rural area in Islamabad Capital Territory. The school is a free institution for children from low income backgrounds. Sessions on kitchen gardening, nutrition and cooking demos will be initiated for parents at the school. from the crowd. Add a photo, gallery or video for even more engagement.