#WAFSP

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The WAFSP M&E specialist, Mark, paid a visit to Togo this week to evaluate our data collection. The highlight of the visit was a trip to a volunteer’s WAFSP small grant project - we went to visit the laying-hen project that Melissa and her counterparts have started. Mark asked questions about the project, looking to garner information and also to verify the reported results in the small grant completion report. He was impressed by the community contribution and commitment to the project’s success, as well as by the survival rate - it’s been three months so far, and of the 300 chicks delivered, 299 are still alive and kicking. And they’re getting BIG.

We spent about eight hours in the car, but it was worth it!

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I spent the last week up in Sokode, implementing a training on Value Addition and Access to Marketplace. Counterparts who already transform agricultural products participated to learn about packaging, budgeting, and marketing.

Income-generating activities are crucial in supporting food security, and counterparts left with new plans to expand their existing activities.

We also visited the Togo center for Alaffia, a social enterprise that sources shea butter and coconut oil, among other products, from Togolese women’s cooperatives for organic and fair trade cosmetics sold in the US. More pictures from that visit to come!

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Bouillie enrichee! A.k.a enriched porridge.

Enriched porridge is a key way to apply positive deviance to fighting malnutrition in Togo. Porridge is the standard breakfast (and often lunch and/or dinner) in Togo, but is usually made using only corn flour, water and sugar. Sometimes it is made with millet or sorghum flour, which lends it a lovely pink tinge.

Unfortunately, the traditional corn flour porridge lacks both protein and a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals. Enriched porridge offers mothers a way to increase the number of calories their babies eat as well as adding essential protein. Most enriched porridge recipes involve adding either bean or soybean flour as well as peanut butter. Moringa powder or tamarind can be added for a vitamin kick.

Hungry, anyone?

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The FARN training I worked on in Savanes is based on the Positive Deviance/Hearth model described here. For more information, check out this other resource and a Peace Corps specific one.