Precious Knowledge for Htway and the Community

“I used to think that it was okay to feed my daughter anything as long as she likes it. I did not have enough knowledge about the three nutrition groups and Growth Monitoring and Promotion,” says Htway Lay, 28 years old and a mother of 2 years old daughter. 

Htway Lay and her husband, Myint Ngwe, live in Yay Le Gyi village, in Thabaung township, Ayawaddy Region. Myint Ngwe is 33 years old and he usually leaves home for work in paddy fields to earn about 4000 MMK (2.5$) per day. Htway Lay is also a member of the village’s health committee. 

Before the ENRICH project implemented in the village, people in the village did not have enough knowledge of Maternal, Child, and Nutrition. 

“People in the village, including me, did not know the right way to take care of our kids. We did not know that it was necessary to monitor the child’s BMI, we did not know the importance of nutrition,” Htway reflects the situation of the village’s awareness of MNCH. Most families were used to giving birth just at home with a midwife. Htway Lay was also one of them who gave birth at home. 

“I used to prepare and feed my daughter just as the same as us. I thought it was okay because she liked it,” says Htway. Therefore, when World Vision started the implementation of ENRICH, most of the under-five children in the village fell into a yellow column on GMP chart.  

“Everything has changed since the implementation of this project. We are now more aware of health issues and the importance of Mater and Child Health,” says U Sein Win, 56 years old, the head of the village health committee. 

The result of the regular health committee meeting and Positive Deviance Hearth sessions in the village can be seen on children monthly Growth Monitoring and Promotion chart. After one year of implementation, most of the under-five children are now in a green column of GMP chart. 

“I now prepare food according to what I’ve learned in regularly health committee meeting and from training. I try not to miss any GMP session to make sure my daughter fall in a green column in the chart,” says Htway Lay. 

ENRICH project has strengthened the village’s health committee and the community in raising awareness in Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition with regular health committee meetings and training, Growth Monitoring and Promotion sessions and Positive Deviance Hearth sessions.