Switzerland
Nutrition program still effective 12 years later
01.08.2009- In 1997, Mercy Ships established a nutrition program in Benin. Twelve years later, the program is still running effectively!
The cook teaching is done together in groups, using materials that the mothers would have in their homes.
A child is weighed on a suspended scale at one of the 5 clinics in Ifangni.
The community of Ifangni consists of 71 small villages, located a few kilometers north of the capital of Benin. A few years ago, the community suffered from a severely high infant mortality rate due to sickness and disease caused by poor hygiene and malnutrition. Mercy Ships became aware of these problems during the stay of its hospital ship Anastasis in Benin back in 1997.
At that time, Mercy Ships made contact with the community and established a nutrition program to monitor children’s weights and educate their mothers on healthy living and eating. When the ship left Benin a few month later, the nutrition program was handed over to a local NGO and today, more than 12 years later, the program is still running effectively.
Once a month, mothers bring their children who are five or younger to be weighed. Each child has their own file and their progress is plotted on a chart. Mothers are taught how to cook nutritious meals from corn, soy, water, and sugar and how to treat their children with good hygiene so as to prevent sickness.
Today, with a total of five clinics in operation, the program assists nearly 250 children and their mothers per month.
The nutrition program in Ifangni is a perfect and encouraging example of the sustainable development Mercy Ships strives to achieve, and the relationship with this NGO reflects the model of coming alongside other organizations in partnership.
