UNICEF, FAO, WFP Joint Resilience Project (JRP): Empowering women empowers communities
“The strength of the Joint Resilience Project lies in its ability to bring together coordinated efforts to yield returns much greater than that of what individual agencies could. But more importantly, it has amassed a body of agents of change from within the very community it targets. Our support may have been the catalyst but those truly inspirational women we met here today are what will ensure its sustainability. Echoing nutritionist Fatima’s words, the knowledge gained will far outlive the project and that’s what resilience is.” said UNICEF Sudan Representative, Geert Cappelaere following a joint visit with WFP and FAO Representatives to Kassala state in East Sudan.
The Joint Resilience Project is a partnership between FAO, UNICEF and WFP. It presents a coordinated, holistic approach to increase resilience by addressing the effects of flood and drought shocks on the health and nutrition status of women and children in four localities in Kassala state of Eastern Sudan.
The project builds on the comparative advantages of the three agencies in order to implement a synergistic set of activities that will improve and strengthen communal and household-level resilience in targeted marginalized communities in Kassala state, so that they are better able to withstand recurrent and predictable shocks. FAO, WFP and UNICEF have been closely working with the Government in streamlining and harmonizing the food and nutrition policy framework and process within a comprehensive vision and approach to improving food and nutrition security.
All three agencies work closely with government entities and have long-standing relationships with their mandate-relevant ministries. The intended impact of the project is to increase the resilience to droughts and floods in the targeted communities in four selected localities (Aroma, Hammashkoreb, North Delta, and Telkok) in Kassala state.
A recent visit to the project has demonstrated far greater returns, there is already evidence of a marked shift in women’s participation and engagement.
“I have three young children Adam, Youssef and Mohamed ages four, three and one respectively. All in great health because my wife and I are equipped with the knowledge we need to ensure our children stay healthy.”
These are the words of Ahmed Mohamed Omer, 37 years old, one of the very first men to accompany his wife Fatima Mohamed, 30, to the women’s center. A weekly half our walk, which Fatima describes as “worth every step”.
Persistent barriers to women and children’s health in the region include the prevalence of tribal traditions that strictly restricted women to the home, which meant women could not seek professional medical care even if accompanied by a husband or a male relative. A reality contributing to maternal mortality rate higher than most areas in Sudan.
“Challenging traditional tribal views is not easy, people were critical and resistant but sometimes adhering to social norms means risking your children’s health and that was not an option” continues Ahmed. “Those who have challenged me at first now accompany their wives and children to the health centers as well.” he concluded.
“Every time I come here my knowledge is enriched and I walk away feeling empowered because I know how to care for my children. Issues like, food, healthy nutrition which I now know are two different things, importance of vaccination and hygiene are all covered ” says Fatima.
The joint visit was an opportunity to witness how beneficiaries, mostly children under 5 and pregnant and lactating mothers are able to access health and nutrition services. From integrated management of childhood illnesses (IMCI) to reproductive health and immunization.
Alawiya Ahmed has been volunteering at the project for the last three months and has seen how the nutrition programme has strengthened the National Expanded Programme on immunization (EPI).
“When families visit the nutrition center children are provided with basic life-saving immunization package to protect them against measles, polio, and other vaccine-preventable diseases. There has been a significant reduction in caseloads since the start of the project. I have established a great relationship with the community.I am proud of my work here.”
As part of the project UNICEF and WFP are providing complementary nutrition services for the prevention and treatment of moderate and severe acute malnutrition.
“If the project stops the impact will carry on. The experience and knowledge we have gained both a as a community and professionals will last beyond the project.” says Fatima a nutritionist who has been part of the project since the very beginning.
In the words of the community leader locally known as “shiekh” when referring to the confidence and knowledge the women have gained as a result of the Joint Resilience Project, “As the old adage goes, give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” Simply put, that’s what the JRP means for us as a community”.
Through literacy services implemented by WFP which target Mother support groups supported by UNICEF and food processing activities implemented by FAO for food diversification for children, household consumption and income generation, the activities implemented in the women’s center complement each other and build a foundation for sustainability.
During the visit FAO Representative Dr. Abdi Jama thanked State of Kassala Government for their support to implement the JRP with its Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Social Welfare. “We commend the partnership that the State of Kassala Government has forged among its line ministries to support the JRP’s implementation. We hope for your continued commitment to forging an even stronger partnership so that we can work together to support the people of Kassala to better prepare for- and withstands shocks,” said Dr. Jama. “This will be essential for us to look beyond the project’s end in 2017 and plan for sustainability and continued tangible improvements to the resilience of these communities.”
“Listening to the stories of women whom we met during our visit, I knew that we have taken a step in the right direction. Our partnership with UNICEF and FAO, the local authorities and the local NGOs on the ground is contributing to the success of this programme and making a difference in the lives of those women,”s said WFP Sudan Representative and Country Director Adnan Khan.
*The JRP was made possible with a £15,408,000 (fifteen million four hundred and eight thousand pounds) grant from DFID.
