IYCF Assessment and Counseling
• Conduct assessment of IYCF practices among mothers and caregivers with children under 24 months
• Identify IYCF malpractices or gaps and provide practical, tailored one to one counseling based on the mother’s specific needs.
• Counsel pregnant women on preparation for breastfeeding and importance of colostrum feeding.
• Use approved education materials on breastfeeding and complementary feeding to provide accurate and practical advice.
• Deliver IYCF group counseling sessions to communities, including separate sessions for mother groups and father groups, on a regular basis in each village.
• Facilitate mother to mother support group sessions at community level.
• Identify model mothers with good feeding practices and share their experience with other mothers to encourage positive practice.
• Prepare and organize sessions in advance, including materials, venue, and invitations to caregivers.
• Facilitate sessions in an interactive and easy to understand manner, encouraging participation from mothers and fathers.
• Respond clearly to questions raised by participants, including addressing doubts, misconceptions, or resistance to recommended practices.
• Handle difficult or challenging questions calmly and provide correct information without dismissing participant concerns.
• Adapt session delivery style and language based on the audience, including for participants with low literacy.
• Support delivery of ECD activities and ECD Play Labs where established, including caregiver participation and use of approved ECD materials.
Support to Screening, Referral and Follow-up
• Support the Nutrition Facilitator during community screening activities, including door to door and village level screening.
• Assist in identifying and referring malnourished children for treatment, and reinforce referral messages with caregivers.
• Coordinate with the Nutrition Facilitator and Community Outreach Worker during joint outreach visits.
• Maintain records of counseling sessions conducted, including number of participants and topics covered.
• Prepare and submit monthly reports on IYCF activities to the District Program Officer on time.
• Perform any other relevant task assigned by the line supervisor.
• Work as part of a three member outreach team, together with the Nutrition Facilitator and Community Outreach Worker, to plan and carry out joint outreach activities.
• Coordinate with team members to divide villages and households for coverage of both screening and counseling activities.
• Report progress and any challenges to the District Program Officer on a regular basis.