Dimapur hosts ideation workshop on nutrition and child health

DIMAPUR — In an attempt to develop community-centric and sustainable solutions to improve Vitamin A supplementation coverage among children under five years of age and for overall child health outcomes in Nagaland, a two-day ideation workshop was held at Hotel Grand Vista, Walford Colony, Dimapur, from November 27 to the 28th.

Jointly organised by the National Health Mission (NHM) Nagaland, Pro-Rural, and Vitamin Angels, the workshop was conducted under the Mission 9 by 5 pilot project to be implemented in select areas of Dimapur, Niuland, and Chümoukedima districts, said an update received here on Friday.

In her address, Dr. Rongsennungla, District Immunisation Officer, Dimapur, who inaugurated the workshop, emphasised the importance of developing contextual, community-centred solutions, ‘highlighting that community participation and beneficiary engagement must remain at the heart of all interventions’.

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“Vitamin A is critical for a child’s immunity and overall health. Every child must receive Vitamin A doses every six months starting from nine months up to five years of age,” she was quoted as saying.

The workshop, which adopted a Human-Centred Design (HCD) approach, brought key stakeholders together to co-design solutions that can strengthen Vitamin A supplementation coverage. “Over two days, participants identified and refined problem statements, prioritised them based on impact, feasibility, and scalability, and worked in groups to map potential ideas for solution development,” said the update.

The agreed-upon top-line ideas that will be used to design interventions for the pilot project include: ‘Strengthening community awareness on the importance of Vitamin A supplementation, especially among parents of under-five children; introducing reminders for parents to attend Routine Immunisation (RI) sessions and ensure their children receive due Vitamin A doses; and enhancing communication outreach through frontline workers and community platforms’.