By Solomon Gumah, GNA
Tamale, Sept 24, GNA – The World Food Programme (WFP) has commended Savana Signatures for adopting innovative approaches to nutrition education and behaviour change among schoolchildren and communities in northern Ghana.
The commendation followed a visit by a WFP delegation, led by Ms. Aurore Rusiga, the Representative and Country Director, WFP Ghana, to Dolaa English and Arabic Memorial Academy in the Sagnarigu Municipality to observe the implementation of the School-Based and Community (SBC) Nutrition project.
The project, implemented by Savana Signatures with funding support from WFP, seeks to promote diverse and nutritious diets through schools and communities while building demand for locally available nutrient-dense foods, fortified rice, four-star diets and safer Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practices.
At Dolaa Academy, the delegation observed nutrition education sessions delivered by personnel from the Ghana Health Service with learners demonstrating their understanding of healthy nutrition and hygiene practices through drama and other interactive activities.
The learners also used a short drama focusing on nutrition and handwashing to demonstrate lessons they had received, providing a practical illustration of how the project was moving nutrition education beyond conventional classroom instruction.
The approach is intended to make nutrition messages easier for children to understand, remember and translate into everyday practices at school, at home and within their communities.
Ms. Rusiga said the WFP was impressed by the innovative approaches being adopted by Savana Signatures to promote nutrition and positive behavioural change among children and communities.
She said: “We are impressed by the innovative approaches Savana Signatures is using to promote nutrition and behaviour change. The use of the mobile cinema and child-friendly content makes these important messages more engaging and easier for children to understand and apply in their daily lives.”
The visit also provided the WFP delegation with an opportunity to observe how the SBC Nutrition project was building on existing school feeding interventions to help beneficiaries move beyond access to food to an understanding of healthy diets and informed food choices.
Mr. Abdul-Mumin Khahad Amadu, the Technical Advisor for Maternal and Child Health at the USAID, also underscored the importance of good nutrition to the health and development of children and families.
He expressed hope that the intervention would contribute to improved nutrition outcomes in participating schools and communities through the promotion of healthier diets and practices.
Mr Amadu said strengthening nutrition knowledge and encouraging healthier choices were important steps towards building healthier communities.
Dr Stephen Agbenyo, the Executive Director of Savana Signatures, said the organisation was combining digital platforms with community-based approaches to reach beneficiaries with nutrition and health information.
He said as an Information and Communication Technology development organisation, the Savana Signatures was adopting both proximal and distal Social and Behaviour Change approaches to extend nutrition education beyond the traditional classroom.
He said the project would provide nutrition education in WFP-supported schools, engage households on locally available nutritious foods and provide practical knowledge and demonstration support to food vendors, cooks, caterers and other school-feeding actors.
He said the intervention would also strengthen demand for four-star diets, fortified rice and locally available nutrient-dense foods while promoting safer WASH practices in schools and communities.
The project is being implemented across 15 districts and five regions covering 124 basic schools and 64 communities with a reported 44,672 direct beneficiaries.
Community activities are being implemented in the Northern, North East and Upper East Regions while school-based activities extend to the Northern, North East, Upper East, Savannah and Oti Regions.
GNA
Edited by Albert Futukpor/Benjamin Mensah
Caption: Members of the delegation during the visit
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