Training Workshop and Cooking Demonstrations Report

Abstract

The FishFirst! Zambia Research for Development and Scaling Staple-Fish Products for Enhanced Nutrition in the First 1,000 Days of Life training workshop was conducted on the 21st of June 2022. The workshop was led by Mississippi State University (MSU) and WorldFish. The workshop was conducted in the Siavonga district of Southern Zambia. The training workshop activities included pre-posttest, presentations, open discussions and question and answer sessions, cooking demonstrations, and demonstrations on how to dry nutrient-dense food for ComFA+ and pack dried powders for nutrient-dense foods. The training was conducted in both Nyanja and Tonga. The presentations and discussions (theory) were conducted at Freshview Hotel, while the cooking demonstrations were conducted at the Pub and Grill. Mothers acquired knowledge and skills on improving child nutrition, health, and household diet through learning about ComFA+Dried Fish Powder and other locally available foods. They also learnt how to make dried fish powder by properly drying Kapenta, roasting it to remove any 'fishy' taste, and grinding it into a fine powder. They learnt how to easily mix the dried fish powder with other locally sourced nutritious ingredients such as groundnut powder, orange-fleshed sweet potato, soybean powder and pumpkin leaves. Combining these ingredients with fish powder from small pelagic fish improves the nutritional benefits of complementary foods for children aged 6-23 months, staple foods for WRA, and staple foods for all household members. Mothers further learnt about other dried food powders such as dried soybean flour, mushroom powder, orange-fleshed sweet potato powder, and groundnut powder that can be produced locally by women/youth operating microenterprises. The mothers finally learnt how to make two ComFA+-fortified dishes that have the potential to be marketed locally by women/youth entrepreneurs. These dishes included: ComFA+ Cassava Balls and ComFA+ Nutri-Cookies. Training workshops such as this one should be repeated regularly to refresh mothers' knowledge and encourage them to use ComFA+traditional foods to fight hidden hunger and improve birth outcomes among WRA and developmental outcomes among children aged 6-23 months. The training workshop should also be scaled up to others parts of Zambia where small fish is accessible and hidden hunger is prevalent.