CHOICES for Children plans to start using the iron fish

CHOICES for Children has linked up with the Lucky Iron Fish project which came to train 31 staff and partners in January.  Take home messages from the training were that the iron fish can fight anemia when we put it into the food cooking pot and boil it for 10 minutes. If you clean it each time after cooking, it should last for 5 years. It costs $5 to $8 per fish, depending on the quantity ordered.

After the training, the CHOICES team has plans to start using the iron fish in May. After raising awareness with Reflect Circle facilitators, we will work with the Iron Fish Company to provide at least 3 per village to use during PD Hearth sessions and share with targeted families. The Iron Fish Company will be linked with all families so that those who can afford the fish can purchase it directly. The iron fish company will help us follow-up with the adoption and usage and after 6 months we will determine if we should scale up throughout the project target area.

See the lucky iron fish featured on CNN International talking about how it is helping fight ‪#‎IronDeficiency‬ across the world!

Learning through Play in Phase II Villages

In Year 2 we have started Reflect Circles in the last 30 villages of the project, now working in the total 60 villages. The 2nd Reflect Learning Unit is Learning through Play. Here are a few pictures from a Training of Facilitators in 4 villages at Wat Chhuok Sar

Topic 4 Sense of Self and Relationships participants are seen while coach facilitators.

Facilitators singing a song for Learning through Play with joyful hearts.

Coaching facilitators at a Women's Reflect Circle on Thursday March 31, 2016.

Coaching facilitators at a Men's Reflect Circle on Thursday March 31, 2016.

On the last day of the Learning through Play sessions Reflect Circle women participants who have completed the 10 sessions receive T-shirts on Friday morning March 1, 2016. They demonstrated that they have learned a lot of good ideas and have already begun to enjoy the experience of taking better care of their children.

After finishing the 10 Learning through Play topics participants from a

Men's Reflect Circle have also received t-shirts.           

A Model Facilitator

When Monyroth leaders in Training of Trainers, she treats it as if it is a Reflect Circle meeting. She begins by taking the attendance. She gets everyone to sit in a circle and makes sure that no one is sitting either in front or behind anyone else. And she doesn’t speak too much, she only speaks when she is introducing and explaining a new topic, otherwise she facilitates so that the participants are driving the learning through discussion, questions and sharing experiences. She makes the effort to involve everyone in the discussion; if someone is talking too much she politely pauses them and asks someone else to comment. She also includes different activities to break up the training, like a song or a game, so that the participants stand up and do something rather than just sit and listen for the whole training.

Monyroth is able to create a relaxed and comfortable environment where everyone is able to participate. Thank you Monyroth for modeling how to be a really good facilitator!

Monyroth facilitating a Maternal and Child health topic

A game similar to ‘pass the hot potato’ where the trainees’ newly learned knowledge is tested.