The CHOICES project has a number of aspects to it: nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, child development, agriculture, non agriculture livelihoods, savings groups, etc. Project staff use various strategies within these different project aspects to ensure successful activity implementation.
The main methodology used is the Reflect community learning and action model (http://www.reflect-action.org/) which sets up groups of community members and forms the foundation of participatory action in the communities. The key methodology used for nutrition is incorporating the Essential Nutrition Actions Framework (ENA Framework) into the Reflect groups (called Reflect Circles). The Positive Deviance/Hearth Approach (PD/Hearth) methodology is another key methodology which while including a feeding program has behavior change at the heart.
The Essential Nutrition Actions (ENA) Framework focuses on enhancing the nutrition of pregnant women/mothers of new borns, and infants during the first 1,000 days (from conception to the first two years) of life as this is the period of time "where nutrient requirements are increased, the risks of under-nutrition are great, and the consequences of deficiencies are most likely to be irreversible." The Framework outlines seven key messages that outline interventions that target this 1,000-day window. A complete listing of the ENA key messages can be found here: http://www.coregroup.org/
These ENA key messages are incorporated into the topic guidelines used by the community facilitators during Reflect Circle meetings in the target villages. Community members are also facilitated to choose additional topics based on their community's needs and include these in the meetings as well.
The PD/Hearth Approach focuses on reducing the level of child malnutrition within communities. The approach aims to find beneficial practices that parents/caretakers with well-nourished children from impoverished families within the community use and then to educate families with malnourished children on these practices in order to begin the rehabilitation process. The full program takes 30 days to complete and guarantees positive change.
Project staff are preparing to pilot the PD/Hearth approach within Reflect Circles in one village in May. This will give time for staff to learn and gain experience through practice before complete implementation. To read more about this approach visit: http://www.coregroup.org/our-
The main methodology used is the Reflect community learning and action model (http://www.reflect-action.org/) which sets up groups of community members and forms the foundation of participatory action in the communities. The key methodology used for nutrition is incorporating the Essential Nutrition Actions Framework (ENA Framework) into the Reflect groups (called Reflect Circles). The Positive Deviance/Hearth Approach (PD/Hearth) methodology is another key methodology which while including a feeding program has behavior change at the heart.
The Essential Nutrition Actions (ENA) Framework focuses on enhancing the nutrition of pregnant women/mothers of new borns, and infants during the first 1,000 days (from conception to the first two years) of life as this is the period of time "where nutrient requirements are increased, the risks of under-nutrition are great, and the consequences of deficiencies are most likely to be irreversible." The Framework outlines seven key messages that outline interventions that target this 1,000-day window. A complete listing of the ENA key messages can be found here: http://www.coregroup.org/
These ENA key messages are incorporated into the topic guidelines used by the community facilitators during Reflect Circle meetings in the target villages. Community members are also facilitated to choose additional topics based on their community's needs and include these in the meetings as well.
The PD/Hearth Approach focuses on reducing the level of child malnutrition within communities. The approach aims to find beneficial practices that parents/caretakers with well-nourished children from impoverished families within the community use and then to educate families with malnourished children on these practices in order to begin the rehabilitation process. The full program takes 30 days to complete and guarantees positive change.
Project staff are preparing to pilot the PD/Hearth approach within Reflect Circles in one village in May. This will give time for staff to learn and gain experience through practice before complete implementation. To read more about this approach visit: http://www.coregroup.org/our-
