The intervention consisted of monthly transfer of food vouchers, to the most vulnerable and marginalized 400 children’s households in selected remote or hard-toreach rural areas. These children are having nodding syndrome and have compounded needs and low coping mechanism due to disruptive nature of the diseases on their wellbeing and high levels of poverty of their families and communities. The transfers were distributed in coordination with local partners and the assistance of the local community leaders. An enrollment meeting was held in April before the first transfer was distributed to issue photo ID cards as well as to sensitize beneficiaries to the program objectives and logistics.
The coordination of the intervention was managed by the TGCDA Project Manager through the field-offices in and was backstopped by staff at headquarters. In the initial enrollment and sensitization, the program was described as a poverty and food security transfer targeted toward women, and therefore, the majority of the entitlement (program identification) cardholders were expected to be female-headed households. However, based on household demographics, men-headed households could also be entitlement holders and participate in all program activities. Overall, approximately 79 percent of cardholders in the project location and 73 percent of cardholders were female-headed households.
The value of the monthly transfer was standardized. The food vouchers were valued at $20 and were given in denominations of $10, redeemable for a list of nutritionallyapproved foods at trusted wholesaler outlets and market stores. The list of approved foods with the recommended amount of food items to buy composed of cereals, tubers, fruits, vegetables, legumes, meats, fish, milk products, and eggs. The food
vouchers could be used over a series of two visits per month and must be redeemed within 30 days of initial receipt of the voucher. The vouchers were serialized and printed centrally, and were nontransferable.
Nutrition sensitization was a key component of the program, aimed at influencing behavior change and increasing knowledge of recipient households, especially in regards to dietary diversity. To ensure a consistent approach to knowledge transfer, a set of curricula was developed by TGCDA in partnership with WFP to be covered at each monthly distribution and transfers were conditional on attendance at the nutrition trainings. These topics included (1) program sensitization and information, (2) family nutrition, (3) food and nutrition for pregnant and lactating women, (4) nutrition for children aged 0–12 months, and (5) nutrition for children aged 12–24 months. Nutritional recipes were also distributed throughout the six months. During the last monthly meeting, an overview and review of lessons learned was implemented, including nutritional bingo in which participants were asked questions about previous training sessions in game format. In addition to monthly meetings, posters and flyers were developed and posted at distribution sites, including supermarkets, banks, and community centers, to further expose participants to knowledge messaging. These topics included, among others, recommended consumption of food groups, daily nutritional requirements, proper sanitation, and food preparation.
See attached detailed project report
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