Did you know that the first 24 months are the most pivotal in a child’s nutrition and development? During this time, especially in Africa, the child is under the care of not only the immediate family but also those surrounding the child – which is why how they are brought up affects how they develop and grow more specifically in terms of nutrition.
Currently, The World Food Programme (WFP) has identified malnutrition as the number one cause of death in children under five. In Kenya, over 26% of children under 5 years of age, that’s 1 in 4 children, face malnutrition issues, resulting in long-term developmental problems, as well as stunted physical growth and immunity problems. This has been attributed to young mothers not knowing proper breastfeeding and complimentary feeding practices.
With this, Roto Tanks and Africa’s largest marketing and communications network agency, Ogilvy Africa (as part of the Ogilvy Give Program) have partnered in a project aimed at educating young mothers in rural parts of East Africa on how to combat malnutrition in children in the first 24 months of their development.
The project dubbed ‘Lesso Lessons’ aims to use traditionally patterned fabric garments (called ‘lessos’) to educate young Kenyan mothers in rural areas on proper postnatal nutritional care.
It is important to note that the use of lessos is crucial in this project as lessos are commonly used as slings by these women to carry their babies on their backs as they work. Traditionally, the lessos are usually adorned with words of hope and love. They are often passed down to convey tribal stories and wisdom over many generations.
These specific lessos have the traditional beauty of a lesso with postnatal nutritional textbook, turning them into desirable and functional garments that will hopefully continue teaching for generations to come.
Through the Lesso Lessons project, the two organizations aim to distribute over 1 million lessos in parts of Central, Eastern, North Eastern, Rift Valley, Coast, Western, Nyanza and Nairobi regions.
