Communication

In May 2017, SPRING organized a trip for staff from the Feed the Future-funded Entrepreneurial Agriculture for Improved Nutrition (EAIN) activity and SPRING/Sierra Leone to visit the SPRING/Guinea project in Faranah, Guinea to learn about the community media approaches used to promote improved maternal, infant and young child nutrition (MIYCN) and nutrition-sensitive agriculture practices, especially in households with pregnant women and young children.

In July 2017, SPRING/Guinea held a six-day training on a graphic design technique known as the Photo-to-Illustration (PTI) process with illustrators and IT managers in Guinea and Sierra Leone, as well as Peace Corps Guinea staff and volunteers. The PTI process involves taking a reference photograph, tracing a line drawing, and using graphic design software to add color, shading, and patterns for a realistic image that is used in social and behavior change communication visuals for nutrition, health, and agriculture.

In 2016 and 2017, SPRING/Guinea worked with partners in Guinea to develop resources. We conducted a training with our partner Digital Green on production and dissemination of community videos for maternal, infant, and young child nutrition, hygiene, and nutrition-sensitive agriculture for community agents in Faranah and Mamou, Guinea.

In July 2017, SPRING/Guinea held a six-day training with illustrators and the IT manager from Guinea and Sierra Leone, Peace Corps Guinea staff, and volunteers on a graphic design technique known as the Photo-to-Illustration (PTI) process. The PTI process involves taking a reference photograph, tracing a line drawing, and using graphic design software to add color, shading, and patterns for a realistic image that is useful in social and behavior change communication visuals for nutrition, health, and agriculture.

These images capture some of the key moments from the day-long joint MIYCN-FP-Immunization meeting on June 14, 2017. The 46 attendees (plus 13 remote participants) listened to eight technical presentations facilitated by their colleagues and engaged in large-group plenary discussions as well as small-group breakout sessions. The goal of the meeting was to share experiences, findings, and lessons learned in order to identify ways to increase synergy and use existing platforms to integrate and strengthen provision of nutrition, FP, and immunization services.

In Guinea, SPRING is promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture and maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) practices through radio programs and community videos. SPRING recently held a two-day training on these topics with staff from local radio and video production centers. During the training, participants explored how to break the cycle of malnutrition, methods for making local agricultural practices more nutrition-sensitive, and their roles as agents of change in their communities.