children's participation in learning and action for nutrition in mozambique, children for...

Children’s Participation in Learning & Action in Nutrition

CPLANSummary of the Programme to Date

June 2014

What is CPLAN?

CPLAN is a children’s rights-based approach* that develops and strengthens primary-school-aged children´s knowledge, skills and attitudes in nutrition and mobilises them to share nutrition messages and practices with others in their family

and community.

UNCRC Article 6 Every child has the right to nutritious food

UNCRC Article 12Every child must be free to say what they think in all matters affecting them

Background photo provided by CPLAN School Tsangano-Sede

CPLAN is funded by DANIDA…

…and technical assistance is provided by USAID

Donor Collaboration for CPLAN

CPLAN sits within the Tete Provincial Government Education Programme…

…and is linked to the global ‘SUN’ movement… Scaling Up Nutrition…a unique movement founded on the principle that all people have a right to food and good nutrition…

The SUN movement recognises…

• that chronic malnutrition – also known as stunting - has multiple causes…

• that it requires people and programmes to work together to put nutrition into all development efforts, and develop sustainable solutions that work.

Some Global Nutrition facts…

• over 165 million children under 5 are stunted as a result of malnutrition

• 52 million children are too thin and require special treatment

• at the same time, 43 million children are overweight - some as a result of poverty, when families are unable to afford a balanced, nutritious diet

• 2 billion people are deficient in key vitamins & minerals

Nutrition in Mozambique

• 44% of all children in Mozambique are chronically malnourished.

• there is persistent high mortality of infants and young children because of malnutrition

• malnutrition reduces children’s immunity and impairs physical and cognitive development

• chronic under-nutrition between 0-2 years damages learning abilities irreversibly

Tackling Malnutrition and ESAN II

The Government of Mozambique has responded

to the high levels of malnutrition in the country, with a National Level Plan

called:

ESAN II

…the overall strategy for Food & Nutrition security

ESAN II & PAMRDC

Photo by CPLAN School, Njalanjila

Under ESAN II is the

PAMRDC

the multisectoral Plan for Chronic Malnutrition

Reduction

Tete Province

Tete Province is one of Mozambique’s 10 provinces and the first province to develop a 5-year multisectoral strategic plan

for chronic malnutrition reduction.

CPLAN & PAMRDC

CPLAN is one of the strategies adopted by the Tete province Education

Sector under the PAMRDC.

It was developed out of a scoping study undertaken in

2011 to identify existing resources and opportunities

in the system to build children’s participation in

nutrition education.

CPLAN Design

Consulting with children at Josina Machel Primary

school, Tete City, as part of the CPLAN design process.

CPLAN Action Plan 2013

In November 2013, and as a result of a participatory

planning process with the Provincial SETSAN team and

government technicians across all sectors, the CPLAN

Action Plan was born.

How CPLAN works

School Club at EP1 Mwanjete. Photo by Mwanjete

1) Children from each grade at primary schools are elected to become members of the School Club…

How CPLAN works

Photos by EPC Tsangano-Sede (left) and by EPC Chinvano

(right)

2) Teachers and community ‘mobilisers’ work with the children (every other Saturday) on one nutrition topic…

The CPLAN topics are all linked to the National Curriculum for Primary Schools

1. Balanced Diet2. Micronutrients3. Malnutrition4. The Food We Eat5. Preserving & Conserving Food6. Cooking Food & Sharing Food Fairly7. Feeding Babies 0-12 months8. Growth Monitoring

School Club on Saturdays…

The School Club Members work on the Nutrition topics with adults to guide them using fun & active methods…

…and then share these activities with peers at school

The existing School Club Manual

Schools to Families & Communities

Photo by CPLAN School, EP1 Mwanjete

All children from the school share their learning and activities with other children and their families….

Tsangano District

Tsangano District, Tete Province, Mozambique

Tsangano District was identified as the district to create, pilot and assess the programme.

Tsangano has an interesting story.

38% of children under 5 are chronically malnourished - but there is plenty of food.

Most people are farmers.

There is plenty of food in Tsangano!

Children for Health is providing technical support to the programme…

UK-based charity Children for Health is providing technical expertise to co-create CPLAN materials, training and

monitoring strategies alongside a team of Provincial and District

education and health technicians.

12 schools from 6 ‘Zipps’ in Tsangano are leading the CPLAN programme

EP1 Afutsa EPC CapondaEP1 CatabuaEPC ChinvanoEP1 ChitambeEP1 FolotiaEP1 KassowaEP1 MwanjeteEP1 NjalanjilaEP1 NsankaEP1 TchereEPC Tsangano-Sede

CPLAN – Phase I – January 2014

CPLAN began with two parallel training workshops for 60 participants at the secondary school in Tsangano town: 1. An orientation for the School Directors at the 12 schools in CPLAN

and in planning skills2. A practitioner training for teachers and community mobilisers

running the School Clubs on Saturdays

We were also joined by the Presidents of the School Councils, the governing body of the school.

CPLAN – Phase I – Training

The training included an overview of the Nutrition problems in Tete province and Tsangano District linked to nutrition and the links between CPLAN and the National Strategy.

The rest of the practical training focused on children’s participation in health and nutrition.


The training was active and fun!


For three afternoons, 120 children in Grades 4-7 attended the workshop.

The practitioners worked with the children to practice activities they had learned, adapted and planned during the morning sessions.

CPLAN – Phase I – Training – Children as Carers

At the training, we asked children about their care-giving roles. Most of them look after babies and young children.

As always the adults were surprised what the children know and how much responsibility they already have for their own and other children’s nutrition.


The work with the children was the highlight of the training.

It was the time when practitioners understood what the programme is really about.


After the work with children we reflected on what activities worked well and what needs to be changed to make the programme stronger…

…we discussed how the programme would be implemented between February and April 2014…

A short film about Phase 1 of CPLAN can be viewed by clicking the link here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5t95uDl18M&feature=youtu.be

CPLAN – Phase 1 - Implementation

The school club is formed and the children come together as a team…

Photo from EP1 Tchere


Sharing ideas on local foods...

Photo by EP1 Chitambe

Working on a food diary for the week…

Photo by EP1 Afutsa


Between February and April 2014, the 12 School Clubs implemented sessions on 4 topics. The schools had cameras to help them record their progress.

Fun at EPC Chinvano with the Balanced Diet Message

The President of the School Council, EP1 Afutsa, works with the children

on their food diaries.


The School Director introduces the school club members to ZaZa and ZuZu’s cousins!

Photo by EPC Tsangano-Sede

School Club members from EP1 Njalanjila show their Balanced Diet Poster

CPLAN – Phase 2 – Workshop – May 2014

During the May ‘School Pause’, we conducted a one-week workshop for reflection and training for 48 participants:

• the 36 practitioners who were trained in Januaryplus

• the Pedagogical Directors from each of the 12 schools

As CPLAN is to become an sustainable and integrated part of the local curriculum in schools, the Pedagogical Directors will play a key role at the next phase to help design this.


We wanted participants to control the agenda so we used a flexible timetable approach – moving elements of the workshop as the needs arose. We made extra space for participants questions about Nutrition.

Examples of the daily agenda which we moved about all the time to fit the needs of participants.


At this training we:

…briefed the Pedagogical Directors in the basic ideas and methodology…

The Pedagogical Directors meeting with and reflecting on the programme and the workshop with the Tsangano District Director of Education.



…reflected on the progress to date with peers…



…discussed, wrote up and then summarised school reports on progress since January…



…shared photos and discussed challenges with the photography (focus, landscape, portrait, composition, using the guidelines and manuals)…



…addressed and helped each other overcome challenges that have arisen…



…found solutions together so the barrier tape can be cut!...



…collected ideas that will inform the revision and finalisation of CPLAN materials for mobilisers and trainers…

Clare Hanbury, Director, Children for Health with two teachers

from EP1 Afutsa and the external community mobiliser. EP1 Afutsa was the top performing school in

the provision of ideas for the revision of the CPLAN Resource

Manual.



…visited a CPLAN School and community to talk to parents and community leaders…



…used the expertise of our medical doctors and nutritionist facilitators - to ensure participants felt confident about the nutrition content…



…prepared and observed participants working with children on selected activities…

An active method to conduct knowledge quizzes where children vote for the answer they think is correct by running and lining up behind the sign,

‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘don’t know’

Clare Hanbury, Children for Health - observing the development of a role play

on breastfeeding



….prepared and observed participants working with children on selected activities…

10 year old boys in a role play discussing issues around breastfeeding (left) and practicing the use of the Shakir strip a

diagnostic tool for detecting wasting in the under 5’s (above)



…consolidated monitoring approaches, support from the District and strategies for Phase 2…

Problem-solving with colleagues (below) at EP1 Afutsa Their School Director had been

transferred shortly after the January Training.

Colleagues (left) from the District Education Office explaining their role as Monitors in Phase 2



…collected photos from each School Club…



…planned for a nutrition-themed week in July in each school…

Preparing to propose ideas for nutrition week and nutrition day.

Using Post It notes to collect ideas for nutrition activities ACROSS the curriculum

during a nutrition themed week in July.



…planned for a Nutrition Celebration Day in Tsangano in August...



…and distributed more basic stationary & materials to help the School Clubs with Phase 2.


Results from the reflections:

the programme is going well although it is only 3 months ‘old’!

every school is implementing the programme!

every school has a school club and children are attending the club regularly!

children from every school are learning nutrition messages and some children are spreading them in the school and out to the families and communities!


Results from the reflections:

the CPLAN materials are too lengthy and each session needs to be simplified.

teachers need to find a time and a location for the club meetings that best suit the needs of the members.

teachers need to build a good rapport with community organisations and explain better the purpose of the programme to families.

families of school members can be encouraged to provided food and utensils for the club to use to demonstrate new ways to cook and combine food and to provide school club members with refreshment at the sessions.


Words from the practitioners:

“School children have expanded the messages, and 10 parents have thanked us for the children’s learning about using individual dishes and hand washing.”

“Children have paint the foods and made a rainbow plate and played with ZaZa and ZuZu’s cousins!”

“The children learned that every meal should not miss a bit of vegetables, fruit, water and dishes should be individual.”

“The program has brought changes in my life and my family.”

“In communities children have changed the behaviour - families use individual plates.”

“They families are trying do have a balanced diet.”


Unexpected outcomes:

An unexpected outcome came in the form of the interest and enthusiasm of a local teacher who also runs the Tsangano Community Radio Station.

Lourenco joined the workshop and helped throughout with mobile phones, photography and during the work with children identified potential child journalists to help make and present a weekly radio broadcast on nutrition. This is already underway!

The Community Radio reaches over 200,000 people in Tsangano.

CPLAN – Phase 2 – Debriefing & Planning

In Tete with colleagues from DPS and from

MASC

In Maputo with colleagues from

the Embassy

CPLAN – Next Steps: May- October 2014

To develop a ‘Basic’ CPLAN Curriculum that can be rolled out in every district in Tete Province between June - December 2014

To develop the CPLAN Basic Training Programme

To finalize CPLAN interventions in Education PAMRDC Program for 2015

To revise the CPLAN Resource Manual and Training Guide (full programme)

To conduct provincial field monitoring in June

To prepare for the Nutrition Week in July and Nutrition Day in August

To ensure district level monitoring is proceeding and using SMS to support this

CPLAN – Plans: November 2014 - May 2015

To conduct Action Research using the PLA approach (Participatory Learning in Action) (November)

To conduct a TOT and set up a Tete City CPLAN demonstration school (January 2015)

To conduct a two part training to scale the programme in Tsangano and Magoe (January & May)

To make a film of the programme (May)

To set up a mobile monitoring and nudge messaging system

CPLAN – Programme Objectives 2014

Specific Objective 1: To train a cohort of people who have the knowledge, skills, attitudes and confidence to mobilize all children in the schools to participate in effective learning and action in nutrition activities at school and in the community.

Specific Objective 2: To train a cohort of master trainers who have the knowledge, skills, attitudes and confidence to train School Directors, teachers and school health activists to achieve Specific Objective 1.

Specific Objective 3: To strengthen the engagement of representatives of children/adolescents in the school council to work together with other members in self-assessment, development, implementation and monitoring of nutrition education activities.

Specific Objective 4: To strengthen local curriculum with knowledge, messages, practices and other content developed with children.

Specific Objective 5: To ensure close monitoring and supervision of the programme implementation.

Children’s Participation in Learning & Action in Nutrition

CPLANJune 2014