The first 1,000 days of life are critical in determining a child’s long-term health. Approximately 30,000 children in Benin do not live to the age of five each year as a result of malaria, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases and other conditions, many of which are preventable with the right nutrition and medication.
As such, The Hunger Project-Benin is taking a stand against child mortality and improving health follow-up strategies, such as encouraging regular clinic visits for children under five. In Quarter 3 2015, 114 community health workers, including 31 women, attended the trainings at Zakpota Epicenter under the direction of health promotion animators. The trainings focused on the window of opportunity of the first 1,000 days of life and its importance in the long-term development of each individual; seven essential nutrition actions (ENA) for the first 1,000 days of life; key concepts in food, health and hygiene for nutritional well-being; the nutritional values of the Moringa leaf (a low-maintenance crop with high nutritional value) and a weighing session.
In Dasso and Kissamey health units, health workers have seen a steady increase in antenatal clinic visits, with numbers doubling in the last quarter, since the training sessions were held.
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