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In-service / pre-service training

Pilot project to strengthen emergency nutrition training in Pre-service and In-service training courses

Project overview

The objective of this two year project is to build sustainable human capacity to respond to nutritional emergencies through strengthening pre- and in-service training courses within developing countries that are prone to emergencies.

The project is being implemented in Kenya and Bangladesh by NutritionWorks (NW) in collaboration with the ENN with funding from the US Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance.

In each country, the project began with a scoping exercise to establish the status of pre-service training (PST) and in-service training (IST), the needs and priorities of key stakeholders, and an examination of how and where training in nutrition in emergencies (NIE) could be enhanced in a sustainable way.

Kenya project

In Kenya the project instigated a colloquium in Lodwar for 18 staff of 8 Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in September 2010 with the objectives of:

1. Exposing lecturers and professors to NIE through increased familiarity with the Harmonised Training Package (HTP), as well as through direct field experience and debates with peers;
2. For HIEs represented on the course to develop action plans to incorporate NIE into existing diploma and degree courses thereby increasing the relevance of those courses to the working context in Kenya and the region.

Key outputs were:

1. Agreement on a core NIE curriculum for Kenya (BSc and diploma level);
2. Joint action plans to improve coordination and communication across HEIs and with Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (MoPHS)/Ministry of Medical Services (MoMS) and other nutrition bodies (KINDI, Kenya Inter-University Nutrition Taskforce (KIUNT), Nutrition Technical Forum (NTF) );
3. Individual action plans by participating HEIs to implement the agreed core curriculum.
4. The unintended output of bringing people together who rarely meet to discuss issues concerning their curricula and teaching or developments in NIE.

A follow up in March 2011 noted clear progress in implementing agreed action plans, with all HEIs having adapted their courses with new content. Some obstacles were identified to further progress in enhancing collaboration between HEIs and service providers, such as MoPHS/MoMS and NTF, and suggestions were made for addressing them. It is essential that systems are established to maintain continuous updating and sharing between the HEIs and those delivering services on the ground.

An exploration of IST was also conducted in Kenya in March 2011, leading to an enhanced understanding of the different roles played by PST and IST, the importance of both in NIE capacity building, and further ideas for enhancing this continuum of NIE training. Currently, IST is largely provided by UN/NGOs in Kenya and remains dependent on external support. There remain challenges to the sustainable development of capacity through IST due to the short-term nature of emergency funding, the predominant focus on emergency-prone areas and high staff rotation/attrition.

See: Report and follow up of pre-service training and exploration of in-service training, Kenya, 2011

Bangladesh project

The project began in Bangladesh in January 2011. Structures, including policies and strategies for NIE, are not yet in place in the country, reflecting a need for both high level advocacy, as well as capacity development at the grassroots. Little PST exists for NIE in Bangladesh, partly due to a historic lack of employment opportunities, while IST tends to be provided in an ad hoc manner by government and NGOs, with no standardised system or content.

NW is partnered with the Training and Assistance for Health and Nutrition (TAHN) Foundation and works in collaboration with the Institute of Public Health and key UN agencies to ensure that activities become streamlined and are sustainable. As the government in Bangladesh has a strong focus on disaster preparedness and response, this project is working in both the health/nutrition and disaster management sectors to contribute to the broader goal of integrating NIE in disaster management.

An NIE subgroup of the existing Nutrition Working Group was set up following a high level NIE meeting held in Dhaka in February 2011. The HTP materials were adapted to the Bangladesh context for a Training Of Trainers (TOT), with the aim of equipping a cadre of trainers to deliver in-service field based trainings for staff working in emergency-prone areas. The TOT took place in Dhaka from 25-28th July 2011, involving 12 participants from NGOs, government departments and HEIs who have a role in management and training of staff.

Two field-level trainings took place in September 2011 in Barguna and Anwara - two emergency-prone areas of the country -for participants from government bodies and NGOs. The training combined theory and field practice with the objectives of introducing or updating participants on key concepts to ensure that future emergency response incorporates nutritional considerations.

The training module, once reviewed and revised, will be available for sharing and will also be used by other actors in Bangladesh (such as WHO and the National Institute for Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM)) for inclusion within existing training courses. It is expected that those trained as trainers will continue to deliver the module to staff and incorporate it within their ongoing training programmes.

See: Report of informal meeting on nutrition in emergencies Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2 Feb 2011

For more information contact Tamsin Walters on tamsinwalters@email.com