Doing more for the community, the DoMore Foundation teamed up with the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Department of Consumer Sciences, Food, and Nutrition to promote healthy eating at 50 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in Hammarsdale, Durban.
This joint effort provided DUT students with the opportunity to extensively engage with the ECD centres and provided comprehensive nutrition and child health training and support to the staff of these centres.
Over the course of three days, DUT students played a pivotal role in bringing to life the idea that ECD centres can serve as hubs of nutrition and child health in South Africa.
The students delivered on-site training sessions at the centres, covering a wide variety of topics essential to child nutrition and health. They also addressed the causes and consequences of malnutrition, as well as preventive strategies such as growth monitoring.
This practice education opportunity allowed for application and exposure to early childhood development that is instrumental in raising awareness among the students and ECD centre staff, empowering all those that were involved to effectively screen for and address malnutrition within a community context, DUT’s, Iris Naidoo said in a statement.
“A significant focus was placed on growth monitoring, with the students conducting both theoretical and practical sessions,” added Ms Naidoo.
“Equipping the participants with essential skills, they emphasised the accurate tracking of children’s growth and development using tools like the Road to Health Book (RTHB). Conducting an audit of the RTHB enabled the identification of any gaps or missing information, ensuring that each child’s growth trajectory was properly documented. An ECD audit was also conducted which provided DoMoRE with useful baseline indicators regarding the ECD centres facility and staff driving a strong evidence base for future development and empowerment initiatives.”
The students gave their support in kitchen safety, emphasising the promotion of a safe environment for food preparation, while highlighting proper hygiene practices among kitchen staff. Waste management strategies were discussed, advocating for sustainable practices and the reduction of food waste. By instilling good hygiene habits in both children and staff, they aimed to foster a healthier environment, said Ms Naidoo.
“The students were carriers of core messages based on the nutrition guidelines for ECD programmes recommended by the Department of Health. By involving the ECD staff and kitchen staff in this process fostered a sense of ownership and collaboration, promoting sustainable nutrition practices within these centres,” said Ms Naidoo.