Educational Resource and Development Center Nepal (ERDCN)

ERDCN in partnership with Community Partners International (CPI) and Ajirkot Rural Municipality, Gorkha district has been implementing nutrition project in all 5 wards of this Ajirkot Rural Municipality.  The relevancy of basic health and nutrition education (Poshan Shiksha) for pregnant, mothers, adolescents, and caretakers to enhance their basic nutritional knowledge and practices is an important milestone to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children in Nepal.

The aims of the project are to improve basic nutritional knowledge and adopt nutrition-friendly practices for 100 pregnant women, mothers, and caretakers through 5 Nutrition Education Classes, to promote a permanent nutrition-rich home garden in each of the household's participation in nutrition education classes, to improve diversified nutritious food intake (improved Dietary Diversity Index) among mothers and caretakers, to decrease the use of junk food among adolescence girls and students; increasing use of homemade tiffin box among 80 percent of school children and to improve hygiene and sanitation among 100 households participating into nutrition education classes.

Thus, this nutrition education project is providing learning opportunities for mothers, adolescents, and caretakers enriching their nutritional knowledge and they are adopting good nutritional practices. Following that Health Post started providing orientation on nutrition, health, and sanitation through different means. Likewise, schools have nutrition, health, and sanitation focal teachers to maintain the practice of hand washing and having only homemade food.