A Look at the Red Hill Health and Nutrition Programme:
By Cape Town Intern, Jenn Johnson
Our partner, African Impact originally became involved with the Red Hill programme in 2008. At the time this partnership began, two existing preschools in the community, based on the Cape Town Peninsula, were on the brink of closure. Economic challenges and long standing land issues facing this community prevent access to government funding and capacity building for teachers, which are typically available to registered preschools. Having a safe place for young children is very important; enabling parents and caregivers the opportunity to seek and maintain employment is an important aspect of what these facilities provide to the community. Collaborating with local staff has resulted in the growth of a child development curriculum which provides a head start to children’s success in education.
As one of the most disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape, African Impact acknowledged that they had an opportunity to work towards meaningful change with the preschools and community of Red Hill. (sounds like African Impact is the disadvantaged community) A community characterized by limited basic infrastructure, a low standard of living and high rates of unemployment means families often struggle to meet the basic health and nutritional needs of their children. After having worked with the schools for a couple years, building the relationship and improving the education through empowering the teachers and building their capacity, it was determined that a Happy African Foundation (THAF) Focal Project was the next step in securing a developing a programme that supports healthy child development.
Nutrition:
All evidence globally indicates that children need a balanced diet to grow and learn effectively. Unable to be formally registered and gain access to government funding, the schools in Red Hill do not have the resources to ensure a balanced diet for the children. Through the partnership between THAF, African Impact and the community, 75 children are now able to receive a nutritious breakfast, fruit and lunch five days a week! Through the focal project we are able to work with the preschools on a more sustainable model of support for long-term initiatives such as the feeding programme and also directly work with the teachers to empower them with the tools and knowledge to provide healthier nutrition for the children.
Hygiene:
Access to basic hygienic resources is a challenge for the community and preschools. During 2013, funding enabled the installation of child-height sinks at both schools so children can wash their hands and brush their teeth every day. Such health-conscious practices build a foundation of hygienic education for the children.
Gardens:
As part of a healthy diet, fresh vegetables are very important and yet accessing fresh vegetables in this community is quite difficult due to the high cost. Being located on top of a mountain and geographically removed from stores and other facilities in town, gardens were built at the schools in order to increase the schools access to fresh vegetables. Limited water resources and poor soil quality are two major concerns which impact the success of the garden servicing the feeding programme. Different gardening models have been tried, including initial box-style gardens to trap in nutrient-rich compost which lasted three years before the soil quality depleted again. The box-style garden was later replaced with a tyre garden system, where tyres are lined with a special garden fabric that traps most of the moisture in and naturally irrigates the soil. A basic irrigation system has also been installed for easy irrigation during the dry season.
Accomplishments:
Through regular monitoring of the children’s Body Mass Index (BMI), we saw a 74% improvement of children’s BMI into the healthy range in 2013.
In 2013, teachers have also increased their knowledge by 46% over the span of four different quarterly workshops. Volunteers develop and implement nutrition-based teacher workshops. These sessions aim to improve the teacher’s knowledge about basic nutrition for themselves and the children and how to apply that to their daily routine. Important practices such as washing hands, brushing teeth, ensuring balanced meals and eating fruits and vegetables are all discussed. Exercise has also been introduced into the curriculum and teachers are quite involved with that as well.
Looking forward, THAF and African Impact are looking to develop an equal emphasis between hygiene and nutrition through the focal project. We are also looking to further empower the teachers and help build their capacity and confidence, to the point that they will be able to hold a parent/community workshop on nutrition and health in the community. In addition, the focal project is also hoping to develop a worm farm in 2014 to help improve the quality of the soil, decreasing the need to purchase soil and in turn making the garden more sustainable.
Through the gracious support of donors, the THAF health and nutrition programme at Red Hill is shaping young lives and preparing them for future success in school! We look forward to seeing what 2014 has in store for this exciting programme.