Healthy Diets for Healthy Communities in Cameroon

Since the inception of the community health programme “Accompanying Women for Healthy Babies” in the Muea Health Centre, the Food and Rural Development Foundation (FORUDEF) has been visiting the hospital every Monday during the women’s routine antenatal visits. During each visit we gave the women educative health talks and mainstream the importance of healthy diet during pregnancy and after birth. We also do a follow up by sending text messages to pregnant women on healthy dieting and remind them their next antenatal visits. This has gone a long way to improve on the women’s nutrition and health generally as we see an improvement in their health history.

Through the support of our Global Giving donors, we have given first response birth kits to women who started their Antenatal visits at 14 weeks, women who respected all their routine visits and also teenage girls who could barely afford a living. To the health centre we also gave the workers some T-shirts carrying the name of the programme and donated a blood pressure machine to the Health Center. 

During the presentation of the gifts the lead Nurse of the Antenatal unit welcomed FORUDEF’S Director and team. She expressed her profound joy and gratitude for the work FORUDEF has been doing. The women sang some of their antenatal educative songs. The Director for FORUDEF thanked the health centre administration for their cooperation and the opportunity offered to the pregnant women. He also urged them to encourage other women in the communities to attend antenatal care. The women were happy and also expressed their gratitude.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Introduction

The nutrition programme that started in February 2017 by our organisation is forging ahead in its effort to improve on community health through balance diets.  We have added a component to this programme - “Accompanying Women for Healthy Babies“.  This is the result of a survey to uncover blood shortages in women in the early stages of pregnancy and even at birth.  Many women had to be transfused blood.  It was discovered poor diet was one of the causes.

The Problem

It was disappointing to hear that most teenage girls got pregnant without knowing who impregnated them. Some knew by face but did not know the names of the boy/man who impregnated them. Very few women could afford to register for ANC before their pregnancy was 30 and 32 weeks old.   This posed a problem because it exposed the pregnant women and their unborn babies to high risk.

Furthermore, few of these pregnant women could afford a balance diet daily. Most of them do not even have the knowledge on what a balance diet is. Worse is that though lectures were given free, most of the women came late for ANC and missed lectures. Some attended ANC till birth without listening to any lectures. This created a gap because little things which were neglected really caused serious problems during delivery.

It was therefore necessary for FORUDEF to include this component within her Nutrition Programme in order to sensitise the women not only on healthy diet, but also on hygiene, breast feeding and the need to attend Ante Natal Care visit.

During this segment of activities FORUDEF informed pregnant women by lectures, on the need for balanced diet.  This exercise was carried out in Health Centres and District Hospitals during Ante Natal Care visits.

Understanding Balanced Diet

The pregnant women received lectures from the FORUDEF staff in charge of community health and nutrition.  She lectured the women on nutrition and hygiene during their regular ante natal care (ANC) visits.

  Using teaching aid to lecture pregnant women at District Hospital, Muea

 Testimonies:

 “Thank you FORUDEF for this information about nutrition.  Your teaching on balanced diet will help me and baby and I am waiting”.

We also do a follow up with the women, collect their contacts and remind them of their next antenatal visit. So far we have been able to generate interest in the women in what they were neglecting; they contact us by texting messages, and also call to our mobile phones. Most of them often call or text and asked questions and assistance in their feeding habits.

Conclusion

Poverty is a visible factor that continuous to menace dignified living.  In a bid to guarantee safe delivery and good health for babies, we continue to solicit your continuous help for the support and expansion of this programme to other poorly nourished communities.  Without your generosity we would not come this far.  Thank you ever so much.