Mother and Child Health

ANERA protects the health of mothers and children through promoting positive public health practices and behaviors. We have over a dozen of these projects in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon with outreach to hundreds of public health and community organizations and their beneficiaries.

Milk for Preschoolers
In Gaza, ANERA initiated the Milk for Preschoolers Program in 2003 when it discovered children were suffering from anemia, vitamin A deficiency, and chronic malnutrition. Many were at risk of irreversible physical and neurological damage. The program now provides 20,000 children in over 160 preschools with a daily box of fortified milk and a packet of fortified wafers.

This fortified snack ensures that the preschoolers get a good part of their daily nutrient requirements to build their minds and bodies. Teachers in the program use puppet theaters and storytelling to create lessons emphasizing good health habits. They also educate mothers about how to provide nutritious meals for their families on a low budget. Continuous monitoring of the nutritional status of the children is done throughout the school year.

A2Z
In another nutrition-related project, From Vitamin A to Zinc (A2Z), we work to ensure the quality of fortified Palestinian wheat flour, spread the word about the importance of nutrients, monitor consumer awareness, and persuade other food industries to introduce fortified products. Our professional health staff in the West Bank manages this branch of this USAID-funded Academy for Educational Development micronutrient project.

Creative Health Campaign
In Lebanon, the Creative Health Campaign is designed to be fun and educational. Parades of children dressed as healthy foods march through communities. Displays and samples of healthy foods are exhibited at outdoor markets.

Educational user-friendly materials are distributed through various community activities to encourage breastfeeding, making baby foods, eating right, exercising and using oral rehydration solutions. Older women share healthy traditional recipes in cooking classes. Theater performances, art displays, music and community worker trainings are all part of the campaign.