Côte d'Ivoire Government Establishes National Council to Combat Malnutrition and Promote Early Childhood Development
Executive Summary
With the national strategy to fight against malnutrition to promote optimal early childhood development, the government of Côte d´Ivoire created the National Council for Nutrition, Food and Early Childhood Development (CONNAPE), which is a multi-sector, multi-stakeholder platform with the mission of coordinating interventions to reduce malnutrition, eliminate hunger and promote child development.
Implementation
Under the coordination of the Executive Secretariat of CONNAPE, these community structures were set up within the framework of the Multisectoral Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project (PMNDPE). This project will last for 5 years. Started in 2019 with an end date on June 30, 2023. It is implemented in 14 regions with a high prevalence of malnutrition. The Project is piloted by a Management Unit under the coordination of the CONNAPE Executive Secretariat.
Stakeholders and partners involved
1,865 community structures have been established in 1,865 villages. 13 national NGOs are actively supporting these communities. A total of 2,409,101 beneficiaries have benefited from these various interventions. Among the beneficiaries, 1,869,998 parents have taken part in educational sessions on parental care. 603,194 children under the age of 5 (55%) are regularly monitored for their well-being and development. Additionally, 233,309 pregnant or breastfeeding women (88%) are benefiting from essential health services.
Impact
A comparative study of parents and children in localities benefiting from the project versus non-beneficiary localities showed that there is: An increase in parental knowledge and practices regarding positive discipline, nutrition and hygiene; An increase in the cognitive level of children aged 1 to 3 years in terms of word knowledge, motor skills and positive interactions with their parents; A change in community behavior in favor of better monitoring of children; Better supervision of children; Awareness of families who realize that the stimulation of children begins from conception; Community involvement in the provision of nutrition services and supervision of children; An increase in the number of children in the first year of the primary cycle; Children from these community structures, once in the primary cycle, it has been noted that they are more lively than those who have not attended these structures. In addition, they already knew how to read, write and were able to identify their environment.
Innovations
Creating Spaces, Local Infrastructure, and Empowering Volunteers
The originality of this device is based on the participation of the community through the granting of space for the establishment of these structures, the construction with local materials of the facilities and equipment, and the designation of volunteers as facilitators with support for their motivation.
Constraints
The desire to use these community structures as a support for the extension of pre-school structures in rural areas will be confronted with the resolution of the issue of capacity building of facilitators and their support. This requires a national reflection to standardize the facilitation tools, the minimum activity package and mobilize the related resources for its implementation.
The Active Engagement of Community Leaders has been Crucial in Driving the Success and Impact of this Initiative
The well-being of children is a matter that holds the attention of the entire community in multiple ways. The active involvement of community leaders has played a pivotal role in the success of this initiative and the community´s ownership of these spaces. Their commitment and participation have been instrumental in ensuring the success and sustainability of the project, resulting in a positive impact on the well-being of children in the community.