by Alhagie Babou Jallow
The Executive Director of the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) Mr Malang N Fofana, has said that their Social Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) programme under the RISE Project is meant to ensure that ‘Nafa’ beneficiaries are informed, educated and communicated to, so that they adopt the desirable behaviours that will improve their health and livelihood.
Mr Fofana was speaking to reporters in Basse, Upper River Region (URR) during Interpersonal Communication (IPC) training for beneficiaries of the Nafa programme under The Gambia RISE Project.
The IPC network is a significant and vibrant structure for NaNA, particularly in the delivery of the SBCC components of their work.
The training for IPC networks is being organised by NaNA and partners and involves 802 communities, who are grouped into 160 training sites across all the regions.
Commenting on the impact of their intervention, Mr Fofana said the cash transfer programme is generating meaningful income for self-sustenance.
About the training models, the Executive Director explained that the IPC training models include the basic project information, about maternal and child nutrition, Positive Playful Parenting, gender-based violence, early child development, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, agriculture and climate change.
“We want to ensure that all the models are adequately treated during the training so that all the Imembers of the PC networks are grounded in all the models for effective delivery,” he added.
He called on the IPC trainees to go into their respective communities and engage with their people, particularly parents, to encourage them to adopt the desirable behavior that stakeholders are promoting in their programmes.
Mr Fofana thanked their partners, particularly World Bank for investing $92 million dollars grant into the Gambia RISE project, which he said, is trying to address The Gambia’s human capital deficiency.
The Gambia RISE project is jointly funded by the World Bank and The Gambia Government with the aim to build a foundation for providing sustainable livelihoods to the poor and vulnerable households.
