For many years Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) programs have focused on women of reproductive age (WRA) given that they and their young offspring are the primary risk groups. This choice has also been influenced by the idea that WRA act independently regarding MCHN practices.
In the past few years, programs have increasingly involved men based on the assumption that they play a leading role in MCHN at the family level. This may be true in the Western world, but it may not always be true in non-Western collectivist cultures where women are part of extended and hierarchically structured families in which various actors, in addition to husbands, influence women’s thinking and behavior.
This guide from the Grandmother Project is a state-of-the-art, user-friendly guide for program managers and planners for conducting a MCHN assessment to investigate intra-household roles and influence. The FFC guide introduces a holistic, or systemic, framework that can assist program staff to more effectively identify key priority groups for interventions. After learning about the development and key concepts and the methodology, one is taken step by step through the assessment process, complete with case examples, sample tools and diagrams.
Download the guide here.
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