The village of Neda is a sleepy enclave on the outskirts of Sohag in Upper Egypt. A few cars screech down the rugged roads avoiding the men who are walking in search of shade. It’s a relatively quiet town; however, on this particularly hot Egyptian morning, there is a generous amount of commotion coming from a house tucked away down one of Neda’s streets.
Upon entering the home of Amal, a community health facilitator trained by UNICEF, one is first struck as almost every inch of space in the living area is occupied. There are chairs lined up against the wall near the kitchen door. Posters, charts and nutrition-related information are fixed on all four walls, and right in the middle of it all are 12 women seated on a large woven mat; most with one child, some with two, comfortably nestled in their laps.
In spite of the heat there is a lively atmosphere as genuine feelings of camaraderie and warmth flow between the mothers and their children and spills over from one woman to other during shared moments of laughter and intense discussion. This is a makeshift class of mothers, and they are here to learn about proper nutrition for their 6–24 month-old children who have been diagnosed as underweight and, possibly malnourished, at some point in time.
The class is boisterous and Amal calls out questions about early-child feeding practices, which are rapidly answered by mothers with wide smiles and strong, confident voices.
“I enjoy my work immensely,” Amal explains. “The women learn a lot, and are successful in taking the message about proper nutritional practices to their own families, as well as their neighbors.”
This nutrition class falls under the umbrella of UNICEF’s Community Based Health (CBH) initiatives, a series of health related projects that target women and children in some of Egypt’s poorest communities. Technically supported by UNICEF and coordinated by Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Save the Children, classes are seen as one line of defense in decreasing the number of childhood deaths, lowering the poverty rates, and strengthening small communities.
CBH interventions cover a range of issues, including teaching new mothers about the importance of early child care practices and proper nutrition. The idea that underlies UNICEF’s community based health projects is that local communities identify and solve their own problems using available resources and manpower.
As a facilitator for the nutrition classes, Amal goes door-to-door to discuss the situation of malnutrition with mothers in the village, and invite them to attend classes with their children in order to address the issue.
“My first two children died because of diarrhea and poor diet,” a soft spoken mother of four explains. “This is why I am here. With my youngest, Mariam, I didn’t want to take any chances so I came to the class to learn about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and the best foods to give her and her brother so they are well fed.”
Classes are held every morning for 12 consecutive days, where mothers are taught about nutritional practices and the components of a balanced diet. Children’s progress is mapped out in simple charts, and upon completion of the classes, Amal drops in on families at random intervals to ensure that children continue to gain weight and are growing strong and healthy.
The women echo sentiments of gratitude and appreciation as they animatedly explain the things they’ve learned.
“My boy didn’t eat at home and I didn’t know how to encourage him, but when I came to the class and he saw the other children eating, he wanted to have food as well. He is now gaining weight and eating at home!” a mother exclaims.
In the past two years over 170 children have successfully graduated from the nutrition class. The women are pleased to see progress in their children and look forward to spreading the message far and wide.
“These classes have helped so much because I have learned lessons about food and child-care that the whole family has adopted,” the mother of two year old Malak exclaims. “I don’t use bitter herbs when weaning, I know how to handle food properly when cooking and I have been able to provide calcium to Malak. My children are going to grow up to be strong, and this makes me very happy.”
This article was contributed by UNICEF to celebrate UN Day.
