What is happening in our three focus areas of health, education, and girls’ empowerment? This post introduces current activities of all three areas.
Health
Over the past weeks, 29 children have been identified as suffering from malnutrition or undernourishment. A cooking course was organized for their parents. The course leaders were mothers of well-nourished children. They talked about their eating and cooking habits and cooked together. Further cookery courses for new groups will be held in the coming weeks and months.
The identification of malnourished children and the subsequent nutritional training for parents were already very successful in the last project region. Before the project began in 2017, there were still over 400 malnourished children in Ikhanoda; by 2023, there were only 31. These impressive results show that our joint efforts are bringing about lasting change.
The focus of our health program is on reducing maternal and child mortality as well as malnutrition and undernourishment in children. A cooking course for parents of undernourished children is an important part of this program’s focus.
Education
Two training courses were held for 20 teachers from ten schools in Singida region this spring. During the training sessions, methods were learnt, and new teaching materials were developed to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. The aim is for all pupils to acquire these fundamental skills and to pass the national final examinations with flying colors. The training focused on participatory methods such as group discussions, games, and songs. Computer programs were also introduced to help pupils learn math in a fun way.
Our educational focus is on professional teaching by qualified teachers and a conducive working and learning environment. Training courses for teachers are an important part of the education program.
Girls’ Empowerment
In spring, two training sessions were held for 120 girls aged 13 to 18 from secondary school. The two-day training sessions covered many topics relevant to the girls:
- The role of women in society, the family, and at work
- Equal rights and power relations between men and women
- Body awareness and dealing with menstruation
- Women’s rights, female genital mutilation, and gender-based violence
School clubs were then launched to raise awareness about these issues among other pupils with the help of plays, songs, and paintings.
Our ‘Empowerment of girls’ program focuses on raising awareness and strengthening girls’ self-determination and ability to act. The training sessions for girls are a central part of the girls’ empowerment program.
