Cambodia National Nutrition Training Curriculum - Minimum Package of Activities (MPA) 10

This training package works to strengthen the nutrition skills and knowledge of health centre (HC) staff in Cambodia to facilitate integrated nutrition activities in health service delivery, supervision, and information. MPA Module 10 contains a facilitator manual, slides and notes, job aids, participant manual, and self-assessment tool. MPA 10 is an inservice training curriculum for HC staff focusing on Cambodia's 5 main nutrition interventions: infant and young child feeding, growth promotion and assessment, vitamin A, iron, and iodine. It is designed to contribute to the achievement of the Cambodian government's goal to reduce maternal and under-5 child mortality.

The training is primarily skills-based and highly participatory, with each session consisting of theory, exercises, and group assignments. The exercises are integrated in the participants' and facilitators' manuals. Each exercise has a letter (A to L). Specifically,

• The facilitator manual consists of an introduction chapter, a chapter on effective facilitation, and details about the sessions for the 10 training days. Each session is presented in a summary page with an estimated time required for the session, objectives, skills objectives, methodology (lecture, group work, role play, discussion, Q&A, etc.), who is responsible, what materials are needed, and instructions for the facilitator. The final chapters are on recording and reporting and peer follow-up.
• For each of the lectures, a PowerPoint presentation and notes with relevant nutrition information is provided for use by facilitators during the training sessions.
• The job aids integrate nutrition messages for each of the 6 key contacts HC staff have with pregnant women and mothers: Antenatal Contact, Delivery Contact, Postnatal Contact, Immunisation Contact, Well and Sick Child Contact, and Vitamin A Capsule (VAC) Distribution Contact.
• The participant manual serves as a reference book. The first chapter explains the purpose of the MPA Module 10. The second chapter provides background information on nutrition. Chapters 3 (infant and youth child feeding, or IYCF), 4 (Vitamin A), 5 (Iron), 6 (Iodine), and 7 (Immunisation) focus on the national programmes. Chapter 8 explains the 6 key contacts for nutrition. Chapter 9 provides information on recording and reporting, chapter 10 focuses on peer follow-up, and chapter 11 provides background information on communication.
• The self-assessment tool is designed to enable National Nutrition Program (NNP) managers to assess NNP staff performance on a quarterly basis. "When the NNP program staff have completed the form – discuss the results in the large group. Give praise for activities that are going well and discuss activities that are not going well. Identify actions to improve the areas that are not going well. The NNP Managers will keep a record of the recommended actions, follow up on progress and discuss at the next assessment."

MPA 10 is an output of A2Z: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Micronutrient and Child Blindness Project, which began work in Cambodia in October 2006 to strengthen national nutrition capacity, facilitate the scale-up of nutrition interventions, and develop monitoring, reporting, and other information systems that help ensure quality services in government-led vitamin A supplementation, maternal and child anaemia prevention, and other micronutrient intervention areas.

MPA 10 is part of a series of guidelines, tools, and training materials produced by A2Z in conjunction with Cambodia's NNP and other partners. For others, click here.