Bringing Care to Life
Nutrition Series
Our Nutrition Series is designed to improve complementary feeding for children ages six months to two years.
In almost half of all children’s deaths worldwide, poor nutrition is a contributing factor. Most of the world’s children are under-nourished because their nutrition does not meet even minimum standards. Our nutrition series, First Foods for Young Children, helps health workers and caregivers improve feeding practices for children between the ages of six months and two years, when good nutrition is so critical to their health and development.
Optimal complementary feeding depends
not only on what is fed, but also on
how, when, where, and by whom
the child is fed.
PAHO, 2003
Developed in collaboration with UNICEF, the 17 films—9 for health workers and 8 for caregivers—were shot in over 60 households in Nigeria, Kenya, and Nepal. The full set of videos were originally published in seven languages: English, French, Spanish, Swahili, Hausa, Yoruba, and Nepali.
How the nutrition videos are making a difference
As noted by UNICEF, “Skilled support through frontline workers within the health system and at the community level is critical … to improve caregivers’ knowledge on when, what and how to appropriately feed their children. … When used at scale the videos have the potential to improve the diets of young children across many settings.”
Narrating these videos in other languages can be a crucial step in extending their reach and impact. UNICEF’s work in many countries enables them to engage national ministries for approval and support for translations/narrations. Ultimately, this buy-in will ensure the videos have wide reach via their integration into government programs. Narration projects for the nutrition videos are now underway in India, Myanmar, Tajikistan, and Guinea-Bissau.
Acknowledgements
Primary Sources
The Community Infant and Young Child Feeding Counselling Package, UNICEF and URC/CHS, 2012, 2013
Guiding Principles for Complementary Feeding of the Breastfed Child, PAHO and WHO, 2003
Guiding Principles for Feeding Non-Breastfed Children 6-24 Months of Age, WHO, 2005
Content Experts
France Bégin, PhD, nutrition
Aashima Garg, PhD, nutrition
Jessica White, MPH, nutrition
Maaike Arts, MSc, nutrition
Karen Hays, DNP, CNM
Film Sites
KENYA – households in Machakos County
NIGERIA – households in Ondo State
NEPAL – households in Kavre District
Health Worker “Actresses”
Kenya – Stella Muyiva Mutinda, nutrition counselor
Kenya – Jeniffer Mwangangi, nutrition counselor
Nigeria – Ronke Obaloyo, nutrition counselor
Nepal – Sunita and Elisa, nutrition counselors
Film Team
Deb Van Dyke – producer, director
Mark Binder – videographer
Bishnu Kalpit – videographer
Joe Brunette – videographer
Willow O’Feral – videographer
Tony Bacon – editor
Charlotte Blake Alston – English narrator
Jeanne Bernier – French narrator
Maria Alexandra Granja – Spanish narrator
Funding Support
Funding that made the Nutrition Series: First Foods for Young Children possible was provided by UNICEF-Kenya, UNICEF-Nigeria, UNICEF-Nepal, and UNICEF-Tanzania (along with their donors, DFID and UK-AID); UNICEF-HQ; the US Fund; and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (for the videos on breastfeeding for working mothers). Support was also provided by GHMP’s individual and family donors.
Copyright
Copyright to the videos is owned by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Permission is required to adapt any part of the videos, and should be obtained from nutrition@unicef.org.