One more step in the PreMase project: the monitoring committees are formed

On April 26, 2024, the training of the members of the monitoring committees of the PreMaSe project took place in Nikki.

After the success achieved with the intervention in 10 villages during phase I and phase II of the PreMase project, which works towards the eradication of child malnutrition in the rural areas of the commune of Nikki, a new step is taken with the creation of monitoring committees in all those villages.

A monitoring committee has the function of monitoring child malnutrition and promoting healthy eating in its village, playing a crucial role in improving the community's health.

Each committee is made up of three people from the population itself, chosen for their good rapport with all the neighbors. Their work will be based on identifying and referring individual cases of MAM (moderate acute malnutrition) and SAM (severe acute malnutrition), and they will also promote changes at the community level to improve overall nutritional health.

Collaboration with the local authorities (relais communautaires), health professionals and the community is essential for the success of these interventions. These volunteers will receive a motivation fee (1500F) and communication costs (1500F), per committee, depending on the number of cases.

These are the roles they will carry out:

• Identification and registration of malnutrition cases in children from 6 months to 59 months in collaboration with the relais communautaires, health centers and local communities.
• Individual assessment and monitoring
• Monitoring of health indicators: weight, height, arm circumference and food intake, to assess the progress and effectiveness of the interventions.
• Carrying out periodic assessments of malnourished children.
• Establishing individualized monitoring plans adjusted as necessary.
• Coordination with the OAN Nutrition team to guarantee effective treatment and adequate medical monitoring (joint supervision by a health worker)
• Promoting breastfeeding and providing support to breastfeeding mothers. (awareness-raising)
• Counseling and psychosocial support to families, to keep in mind the emotional and social factors linked to malnutrition.
• Encouraging community participation in decision-making related to health and nutrition.
• Social support network: Establishing and strengthening social support networks to share resources, information and experiences among families.
• Monitoring food resources and assessing the availability and accessibility of nutritious food in the community.
• Producing reports to record progress, challenges and recommendations to improve the interventions.