Trainer Attachment 7A: Problem poster activity

Setting:

A community meet-leg or woman's group meeting to discuss prevention of health problems.

Preparation:

- Prepare two large posters - one depicting a malnourished child and the other depicting a healthy child

- Prepare two sets of small cards: one set has drawings of causes of malnutrition associated with diarrhea such as: a child with diarrhea defecating in the yard, a child refusing to eat during diarrhea, an unbalanced meal; a mother withholding food during diarrhea etc. The other set shows ways to prevent malnutrition resulting from diarrhea in children such as: feeding the child, a mother breast-feeding, using a latrine, washing hands etc.

- Tape the posters and cards on the wall or blackboard.

Procedure:

- Show the picture of the malnourished child and ask the participants, "how would you describe this child?.

- Show the poster of the health child and ask, "How would you describe this child?."

- Place all the small cards on a table and ask for volunteers, one at a time, to select a small card and place it next to one of the large posters and explain why he or she is placing it there.

- Have the group discuss these answers. Use this as a basis to discuss the vicious circle of diarrhea and malnutrition.

- Ask someone to draw a diagram showing how diarrhea and malnutrition interact.

- Ask the participants what could be done to break the vicious circle of malnutrition and diarrhea in their communities.

- Have them discuss ways they could use this activity in their communities.

(From: Bridging the Gap, pp. 66-67.)