UNICEF Laos

Building the capacity of health workers is helping to promote positive behaviours and reduce malnutrition in Laos

Under the Partnership for Improved Nutrition, the Government, the EU and UNICEF are working together to support the adoption of recommended maternal, infant and young child health, nutrition and hygiene practices at community level and especially in hard-to-reach areas

Doctor Lamany Lorvanxay is the Head of Saleuy Health Center, in Sam Neua district, Huaphanh Province. Her team provides Maternal and Child Health Care, including immunization, and prevention and treatment of malnutrition.

She is one of the 19 health workers from Sam Neua who were recently trained on Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices thanks to the 1,000 Days Project funded by MMG through UNICEF Australia, which is part of a larger umbrella initiative, the Partnership for Improved Nutrition (PIN), to which the European Union and UNICEF contribute substantially.

This training has allowed Lamany to better perform her daily duties, including carrying out interpersonal communication activities. 

“Working with ethnic minority groups is challenging because we speak different languages. Their education level is also an issue and this makes communication difficult. However, we have seen positive trends and I can say that these groups are more supportive now than before,” she explains.

Reaching those in hard-to-reach areas is not always easy, but Lamany is driven by her desire to improve people’s lives. “It is an honour for me to help others. I don’t want to see children suffering from malnutrition and I believe I can make a difference by promoting positive behaviours and providing counselling”.

For the Government of Lao PDR, improving the nutritional status of children and women is a priority. “To achieve this goal, it is crucial that both parents and care givers understand their role,” states Dr Phouangsy Phommavanh, Head of the Hygiene and Health Promotion Division, Huaphanh Provincial Health Department.

“Before starting to work with development partners under the 1,000 Days Project, people in Huaphanh used to feed children rice at a very early stage. Thanks to this programme, we have been promoting exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months,” Dr. Phouangsy says.

As she recognizes, change does not happen overnight. “When mothers hear for the first time about exclusive breastfeeding, they tend to refuse it.” Cultural beliefs and practices are deep rooted and, thus, it is important to closely work with these communities, gain trust and continuously repeat the messages. “During the awareness sessions, we also show evidence of the positive impact that exclusive breastfeeding has on children’s health by comparing children that are fed rice and those who have been exclusively breastfed, so they visually see the difference, and this works,” she concludes.