MEDIA

The Ministry of Health represented by Huaphanh Provincial Health Department and ChildFund in Laos collaborated to organise the Close-Out Meeting of Partnership for Improved Nutrition in Lao PDR

June 7, 2022, The Ministry of Health represented by Huaphanh Provincial Health Department and ChildFund in Laos collaborated to organise the Close-Out Meeting of Partnership for Improved Nutrition in Lao PDR Pillar 3: Sustainable Change Achieved through Linking Improved Nutrition and Governance (SCALING) Project, which was implemented in 30 villages in Xamneua District, Huaphanh Province from July 25, 2018 to June 2022. The SCALING Project supported by the European Union (EU) and was carried out in three provinces with consortium partners CARE International Laos, CCL, and Save the Children.
The close-out meeting was held at the Department of Planning and Investment in Xamneua District, Huaphanh Province. The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Anoudeth Sykhamsai, Provincial Party Committee and Head of Houaphanh Provincial Office; Mrs. Vanthong Phaengxomma, Deputy Chief of Health Department, Huaphanh Province; and Mr. Vilasai Thammavong, Acting Country Director of ChildFund in Laos and attended by representatives from Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion, and National Nutrition Center (NNC), Ministry of Health; the International Non-Government Organizations Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; technical staff and the beneficiaries from all 30 target villages of SCALING project.
The SCALING project aims to improve food and nutrition security among rural households and create sustainable agricultural wealth at the village and household level in Huaphanh Province, as well as to improve nutritional status of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and children under the age of five in the project area by doing a number of main activities:
1. Adapted communication tools for Social Behavior Change at the village level (SBCC) and conducted trainings on gender, nutrition, and health care for lower secondary school students through peer-to-peer activities to promote behavioral change linked to hygiene and nutrition.
2. Improved district health systems and mobile health services to improve access to appropriate nutrition information, and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, and Child Health care (RNMCH).
3. Established Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) for members to use their savings to improve the nutrition of women and children. By the end of 2021, the savings group had 553 members from 15 participating villages.
4. Conducted women’s empowerment workshops on gender, negotiation, and leadership skills to enhance decision-making, reduce workload, and gain control over resources and health.
5. Built and renovated gravity-fed water supply infrastructure, enhanced sanitation, and promoted hygiene-related behavior through community contributions. In 2022, a total of 2,856 households in 30 target villages, of which 2,376 have latrines and 11 have irrigation systems.
The main purpose of this meeting is to report on the results of the entire project implementation throughout the life of the project, and hand over the activities, equipment and vehicles to the government for official responsibility, ownership and sustainability.