Lucky Shakti Leaf x Georgetown RISHI Pilot Project
The Issue
In Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, 52.7% of women aged 15 to 49 years are anemic (as of 2019-21).
This health concern can be partially explained by the prevalence of vegetarianism in Rajasthan which is influenced by teachings inherent in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Plant-based non-hemoglobin iron (iron in vegetarian diets) has a lower absorption rate in the body than animal-based hemoglobin iron, which can contribute to a below-average iron intake and iron-deficiency anemia.
Why is iron important?
Iron helps oxygen move from our lungs to the rest of our organs! It is incredibly important for our muscles, our cell growth, and our brain development.
Our Solution
Lucky Iron Fish, a Canadian social enterprise, has developed a product called Lucky Shakti Leaf.
The leaf is a cooking tool that, when added to acidified boiling liquids (i.e. curries, stews, or daal), releases 6-8 mg (50-100% of the recommended daily intake) of highly absorbable iron into the food, which helps combat iron deficiency anemia. The leaves are reusable and can be used for up to 5 years, making this product highly sustainable and cost-effective!
We worked alongside employees from Lucky Iron Fish to first develop a training program which highlights what anemia is, why it is important to treat it, and how the Lucky Shakti Leaf will help achieve that goal, including how to use the leaf and obtain optimal results.
In August 2022, Georgetown RISHI members trained volunteers from our NGO partner, GSVS to deliver our training program in Hindi.
Project Implementation
In order to identify anemic women to participate in our pilot program, GSVS tested the hemoglobin levels of 83 women in rural Rajasthan.
30 anemic women from 2 villages, Amritpura Village and Gopal Sagar, were selected to join our pilot program!
In late August 2022, GSVS volunteers conducted workshops educating women from these villages using our training program and performed a cooking demonstration using the leaf.
After the workshops, GSVS volunteers conducted qualitative surveys to establish baseline symptoms and relevant information about the project participants. They then distributed Lucky Shakti Leaves to the 30 women participating in our pilot program!
Results
In December 2022, GSVS volunteers conducted a follow-up round of hemoglobin testing and qualitative questionnaires to assess the progress of our pilot program. After using the Lucky Shakti Leaf consistently for 3 months, the majority of women in the pilot program saw their hemoglobin levels increase! 100% of participants liked using Lucky Shakti Leaf, saying it was easy to use, a good alternative to iron pills, and improved their health.
Georgetown Project RISHI will follow up with the pilot program participants in the coming months to assess the long-term effectiveness of the product and is currently working with Lucky Shakti Leaf and GSVS to scale-up the project in rural Ajmer!