Abdel Hamid sits with a group of mothers and children in Galadima, a village North of Maradi, Niger. He just finished a session promoting optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices among mothers that focuses on the 2 first years of the child’s life. His activities are part of the national program to prevent and treat acute malnutrition supported by European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).
Abdel Hamid works for Alima/Befen, an NGO that provides medical and nutritional care in Niger. He supervises and trains health and nutrition promoters who encourage optimal feeding practices for infants and young children in several villages in the commune of Kornaka. “I’m in a very privileged position”, he explains. Abdel Hamid used to work in the pediatric unit of the Dakoro Hospital that treats severely malnourished children. “I know what the hospital was like before the project started. There were many children coming late in critical conditions. These days when I visit the hospital, I see that the work we do to promote optimal feeding practices among mother is bearing its fruits. As a result far fewer children need to be treated for complicated acute malnutrition”.
