Alliance Forum for Development (AFOD) has been implementing Targeted Supplementary Feeding and Maternal Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) programme under the World Food Programme serving more than 3,000 mothers per month in the four health facilities of; Pijoke, Lobule, Lurujo and Kuluba in Koboko district.
To promote optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) among other nutrition interventions in the communities, AFOD initiated the formation of the mother support groups integrating it with Village savings and loans association. Under MSGs, four groups were established, consisting of 25 members per group attached to each of the four health facilities where AFOD operates. The groups comprises of both females and males who were empowered with information on; maternal child health and nutrition, prevention of anaemia during pregnancy, good hygiene practices, exclusive breast feeding for the first 6 months, ANC and PNC attendance, Family planning, importance of kitchen gardening and general care of infant and young child feeding practices to enable them empower the community/peer groups with information and activities that promote optimal IYCF in the communities. The groups also embraced micro savings as one of the livelihood activities to fight poverty, instil a savings culture and promote maternal child health nutrition. Members of the group shared that kitchen gardening has boosted their nutrition status. One of the mothers said, “Unlike before when we used to think that meat and chicken are the only nutritious foods, vegetables make our faces shine“.
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With the savings, I have been able to buy more seeds and eat balanced diet”. Another said, because of the greens, my children have become healthier and big as though they eat chicken every day”. All the mothers appreciates both the nutritious food given to them and messages passed to them during nutrition education. One member exclaimed! “I don’t know how many of us were going to handle these children if we had not attended the nutrition education given at the health facility” |
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A mother and some AFOD staff in her kitchen garden in Waju II cluster |
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With support from partners, AFOD is looking forward to setting up IYCF corners in all nutrition sites, identify and train IYCF counsellors and organize functional IYCF referral systems in all supported refugee settlements.
