Canadian Ambassador to Senegal meets communities benefiting from health and nutrition project

KOLDA, SENEGAL – In February 2017, the Canadian Ambassador to Senegal, Her Excellency Lise Filiatrault, visited some of the communities benefiting from the “Integrated nutrition project in the regions of Kolda and Kedougou” (PINKK). The project, funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada, aims to improve the nutritional health and food security for people in the regions of Kolda and Kedougou in Senegal, particularly for women and young children.

Ambassador Filiatrault visited the town of Kolda and the village of Bellinaoude-Santhiago Amadou, both located in the region of Kolda, and had the opportunity to see firsthand some of the project’s initiatives and their benefits to the communities.

Centre Conseil Ado – CCA, town of Kolda

The Ambassador began her visit of PINKK’s initiatives in the Kolda region with a tour of the Centre Conseil Ado (CCA), which is located in the town of Kolda. The centre tailors its services to young people by offering them support, resources and information in areas such as professional mentorship and sex education. The centre has young women’s clubs that work to combat teenage pregnancies and child marriages through workshops and social activities on sexual and reproductive health. The region has some of highest numbers of teenage pregnancies, child marriages, and HIV/AIDS cases in the country.

Through the PINKK project, the centre has been able to increase its support for the young women’s clubs to help them scale up their reach. PINKK has also helped the clubs expand their work to now include workshops and activities intended to improve the nutrition of adolescent girls in the region.

Village of Bellinaoude-Santhiago Amadou

Following her visit to the Centre Conseil Ado (CCA), Ambassador Filiatrault spent the rest of the day visiting the community of Bellinaoude-Santhiago Amadou, one of 12 villages in the Kolda region that are part of a PINKK initiative aimed at promoting the production of nutrient-dense foods by local families. Through PINKK, families were provided with moringa fruit trees and the improved seeds of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, both rich in essential nutrients, for harvesting in their home gardens. Chronic malnutrition rates in the Kolda region are among the highest in Senegal, with approximately 50% of the population suffering from food insecurity.

“It was wonderful to see firsthand the many ways that PINKK is helping to improve the nutrition of people in the region of Kolda, particularly for women and young children. I look forward to following its progress over the coming years,” said Her Excellency Lise Filiatrault, Canadian Ambassador to Senegal.