COMSIP trains 1,132 facilitators to promote nutrition-smart households

COMSIP has completed training of 1,132 Community Facilitators to strengthen nutrition education among households participating in the Social Cash Transfer Programme and COMSIP savings and loan groups.

The training was conducted across nine districts under the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP) social cash transfer re targetting.

The training is part of COMSIP’s efforts to strengthen the link between social protection, livelihoods and improved household nutrition.

It focused on equipping Community Facilitators with practical knowledge and simple tools that they can use to share nutrition messages with households and savings groups in their communities.

Key areas covered included nutrition-smart food choices using locally available foods, preparation of balanced meals from the six food groups, and ways of linking savings group businesses and income-generating activities to improved household nutrition.

Special attention was given to the nutritional needs of pregnant women, mothers and infants, recognising the importance of good nutrition during pregnancy and the early stages of a child’s development.

To support the facilitators in delivering nutrition education at group level, each participant received a training manual and a picture-based poster chart to help them communicate key messages, particularly with households that may have limited literacy.

Speaking at the conclusion of the training, COMSIP Nutrition Officer Fraser Yasini said the training was designed to reach households that are benefiting from both social protection and COMSIP’s savings and livelihoods interventions.

He said the knowledge and tools provided during the training are expected to be passed on through peer learning and community-level engagement.

“This training has given our facilitators the knowledge and simple tools they need to teach nutrition in their villages. My hope is that through them, thousands of COMSIP and Social Cash Transfer households will start making better food choices, preparing balanced meals, and running businesses that support nutrition,” he said.

“In the end, we want to see healthier mothers, healthier children, and stronger families across the nine districts.”

Through its savings and livelihoods work, COMSIP brings together vulnerable households into organised savings groups where members can save, access loans, establish businesses and strengthen their household incomes. The nutrition training adds another dimension to this approach by helping households translate improved access to income and livelihoods support into better food choices and healthier families.