In other words, first the anthropologist has to educate him or herself about the Mali culture, the mother and child bond and how infants are fed and why. Based on learning these cultural norms (and, assuming that the necessary foods can be obtained), it is necessary to develop a training course that will be understood and, more importantly, accepted by the Mali women. Just as it does not work to only drop off food and assume that it is being eaten properly and by the right individuals, it will not work to just develop training materials and hand them over.
Once again, these materials not only have to be understood, but accepted. If they are seen as an infringement or an indictment of their own values and abilities, they will not be used. There has to be buy in. Also, the education should not come from the outsider, but rather from the people themselves. Several individuals have to be trained in each village to be coordinators and educators, responsible for encouraging mothers to attend the instructions and for the teaching itself. These coordinators would also go through a training course. Because there may be a high turnover in such a position, regular training would have to continue.
The aims of the instructional materials would be to increase awareness of the consequences of malnutrition, the state of health of the infants and children and the high importance of a well-balanced diet rich in nutrients, especially for small...
Stress has to be placed on the benefits of the nutrition-filled foods provided, and how to prepare and eat them.
It is clear that malnutrition is a complex and many-faceted problem. It takes the coordination of a number of different individuals who can provide the medical, social, educational and cultural help that is needed. The problems of malnutrition in infants concern the crucial nutrients for growth and development as a whole. Improved availability and use of all the nutrients is critical to reach an improved state of health and normal growth. Such a difficult objective can only be achieved by collaborative efforts of a multi-disciplinary group of individuals who are known and respected by the people in Mali. All initial training must be accomplished with a healthcare specialist, a nutritionist and a sociologist/anthropologist.
Once they are trained, the coordinators need to spend a great deal of time letting the village people know about the materials and setting up instructions in the homes or other places that are easy to attend. Awareness about the program is very important, especially in the beginning before word of mouth sets in.
Many times, programs fail because they are developed and implemented and there is no follow-up, testing, evaluation and revamping. This is just as critical as starting the program in the first place and has to be part of the overall plan.
