ANNEX 8. EXAMPLES OF COMMUNITY AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT AND OUTREACH

¨ Schools can bring together a variety of groups with varying skills and resources (3). Adult role models are important for helping young people to learn from experiences and to make healthy choices.

¨ Children who understand the benefits of good nutrition can share their conviction with their family and community members and invite them to the school’s nutrition programme.

¨ Mothers and/or fathers who predominate in the role of the “health educator” and child care within the

household can make a significant contribution to improving the level of understanding of healthy eating within the household and community, if adequately informed by the school or other sources.

¨ A community mobilization project can take a three-tiered approach: screening schoolchildren to identify the main nutritional problems affecting them, calling a parents’ meeting to analyse these problems by identifying underlying causes, and agreeing on specific actions they will take collectively and individually (3).

¨ Drama can be used to engage students and adults in the community. It also facilitates discussion and decision-making on a nutrition-related topic (3).

¨ Schools can send nutrition information materials and cafeteria menus home with students (6).

¨ Schools can invite parents and other family and community members to periodically eat with their children in the cafeteria (6).

¨ Schools can invite families and community members to attend exhibitions of student nutrition projects or health fairs (6).

¨ Schools can offer nutrition education workshops and screening services to the community (6).

¨ Schools can assign nutrition education homework that students can do with their families; e.g. dietary assessments, preparing healthy recipes (6), planning meals based on nutritional guidelines.

¨ Schools can participate in community-based nutrition education campaigns sponsored by public health agencies or voluntary organizations (6).

¨ School farms, in collaboration with the community, can generate farm products for school meals or for the community, and disseminate nutritional knowledge and practical skills (11).

¨ Teachers and students can organize a meeting at a women’s marketing collective or women’s club (14).

¨ Health and nutrition information can be provided through visual aids and plays in a central place of the

community, through the mass media and at village festivals to reach young people who do not attend school (55).

¨ Mature, married women could be guest speakers at local schools and talk about breast-feeding and other nutritional topics (14).

¨ Schools can encourage participation of volunteers in food banks or in collecting and sharing food for the socially deprived.