In August 2017, we started the implementation of community based – IYCF intervention in Bossaso, the project’s goal is to Protect, promote and support breastfeeding In Bosaso and its surrounding areas, the target population is 448,009 IDPs and host communities, the project’s timeline is twelve (12) months.
The intervention came after our assessment backed up by various studies which showed Poor infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices is one of the major causes of acute and chronic under nutrition in the area.
Evidence form baseline survey (Micronutrient National Nutrition Survey in April 2009) at national showed that infant and young child feeding practices in Puntland is quite sub-optimal and this is contributing factor to the high caseload of malnutrition among the young children.
During this reporting period, many milestones were achieved through the month, we managed to develop a detailed program’s work plan, program check list & risk register and recruitment plan, where we recruited 5 of project’s staff who will ensure the project’s goals and objectives are attained within the stipulated timeframe, this includes BCC officer, IYCF counselors (nurses), MOH Bosaso district supervisor and nutrition specialists. Also the community selected 10 CBW workers from their respective localities based on the criteria we stipulated to them.
Additionally, we held a meeting With MOH, ministry of women and family affairs (MOWDAFA), Bosaso municipality, IDP focal Points-MOI and MOH, where we informed them and updated them on the new project’s objectives and its expected outputs, including the modalities of its implementation and the support we require from them.
More so, we mobilized communities of the respective targeted villages and visited the villages in person where we held briefing meetings with them and discussed various issues, we also held a separate meeting with IDP gate keepers where urged them to nominate peer-support mothers as per the criteria that we outlined to them, eventually, they Selected 22 of Peer-support groups mothers.
Furthermore, later on, we held and orientation meeting where it was attended by thirty one (31) participants, this included the local authorities, focal points and village committees, we used the meeting to highlight project’s objectives to them, the ministry of health and UNICEF representatives also outlined the projects goals and merits to the participants, the meeting was imperative because we got a chance together with our partners to sensitize the local community on breastfeeding and its support mechanism, breast-feeding in regard to Islam religion, new strategies on how to make breastfeeding popular among communities and also we had an opportunity to develop district level plan to encourage breastfeeding among the families in the region. The participants were very supportive of the initiative and they promised to support it unequivocally.
Also within the period, we made some adjustments to the targeted areas that had earlier on been mapped to benefit for from the project, after wider consultations with MOH, we made the below changes and amendments.
- Inji IDP camp was one of our major target areas but within the period, the residents moved to other areas and few individuals were left behind, for this we had to substitute them with IDPs from 10 Bush and 55 Bush IDPs as beneficiaries of the project.
- We replaced 26 June village with 1-da Luulyo after we learnt that majority of the targeted IDPs had moved to the village and also 26 June village was far from other targeted IDPs camps
- We combined beneficiaries from 55 bush IDP camp with those from 10 bush camp, because the number of 55 bush IDPs camp populationimmensely reduced after the land they were living on was sold off by the owners and they had to move to other areas.
- We had to add Farjano IDPs camp as one of the targeted villages due to its close proximity to other IDPs camps that had initially being considered for the project.
Additionally, within the month, we also established Mother-baby area centers (MBAs) and distributed Mats for Mother-baby area centres and also organized Promotion sessions; we also conducted rapid assessment in MBAs and collected basic information.
More so, we printed counseling cards, IYCF Register Books and assembled Portable wireless amplifiers speakers and formulated and recorded voice messages, the training of Mothers peer supporters and CBWs will be conducted after Eid days.
Lastly, the nurses that were hired for the programme received one day training on breastfeeding in line with the project’s implementation by the ministry of health (MOH) and further five (5) days training by UNICEF in Garowe.
We Facilitated training of Mother to Mother support peer groups, for 3 days from 9-11 September, 22 mothers selected across IDPs communities took part and they were informed and trained on their roles on IYCF program, they promised to effectively play their roles in their localities.
We conducted simple rapid assessment on MBAs as pre-evaluation survey and we planned to collect other rapid assessment at the end of the program to know impact of the program which will be post-evaluation survey.
We developed IDP Visit plan which illustrates details of planned Nurses and supervisors visits to the IDPs camps, it also indicates CBW for each targeted IDP, the visit plan also point out mothers-supports groups roles in facilitating communication and monitoring where project officer will visit the sites twice a week.
Conduct training for Community based workers as IYCF Counselors, the training for 3 days, a total of 22 participants will take part, including 10 CBW’s, 5 supervisors, 2 nurses, 2 facilitators, 3 government representatives (MOH & city councils).