DHAKA, Bangladesh – As public health emergencies occur, the affected populations are exposed to an increased risk of malnutrition, which often leads to growing numbers in morbidity and mortality. However, malnutrition is not an inevitable consequence of emergencies, and can be prevented and treated when the right tools are available.

ADPC’s new training, Nutrition in Emergencies was organized for the first time in Dhaka, Bangladesh in June. Providing an introduction to the components of nutrition programming in emergencies, the course is a part of the Nutrition in Emergency (NiE) Regional Training Project, initiated by Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) together with Centre for International Health and Development, University College of London, American University of Beirut in Lebanon and University of Makerere in Uganda in 2012.

“The aim of the course is to strengthen the limited human resource capacity in alleviating malnutrition emergencies on the ground. The course provides the participants with the ability to respond to the food and nutrition needs of people affected by emergencies. The course program actively involves the participants”, says Dr. Pir Paya, ADPC.

New insights gained by sharing experiences

By request of Helen Keller International (HKI), the first course was arranged as part of HKI’s Nutrition in Emergency Training Initiative (NiERTI) in Bangladesh. Directed at HKI’s field staff, the course followed a compact schedule of five days instead of the standard of 11 days.

“The course was very informative and the facilitators definitely were experts in their field. The course gave an orientation to approach nutrition in emergency situations. It also worked as an excellent forum to meet professionals from different backgrounds. Sharing experiences from others was very useful”, states one of the course participants

“During the course we had a great opportunity to apply knowledge, but to consolidate the knowledge will of course take some time”, adds another course participant.

Absorbing new information

Dealing with issues such as the causes of malnutrition, measurement of malnutrition at individual and population level, food assistance and micronutrient deficiencies, and infant feeding in emergencies, the course turned out to give excellent learning results. Among the 18 course participants almost everyone was new to nutrition issues.

“The tests conducted for the participants both before and after the training showed very good learning results: the mean pre-test score was 12/25 while the mean score from the same test conducted after the course rose to 22/25. Hopefully the participants will apply their new skills and knowledge about emergency nutrition to their jobs when getting back in the field”, says Course Director, Ms. Rita Bhatia.