Summary

Shige, a mother of eight, welcomed her youngest son approximately seven months ago. In October of last year, we visited and interviewed her in her native village of Watera. At that time, pregnant with her eighth child, Shige recounted her experiences with the project and the positive changes she had witnessed since her involvement.

Recently, on June 21st, 2024, we revisited Shige and her infant son at their residence in the Oromia region, where she lives with her husband and their children. Since our last meeting, Shige has made remarkable progress. She has expanded her homestead garden to grow a variety of vegetables and fruits, including lettuce, cabbage, carrots, beets, avocados, apples, and bananas. This endeavor has not only allowed her to enrich her children’s diet with nutritious, home-grown meals but also to generate a considerable income from selling the excess produce.

Shige’s Story in her own words (quotes)

I have had the pleasure of welcoming a seven-month-old newborn boy into my life since our previous meeting. Our family is so happy to have him. I currently grow a variety of fruits and vegetables using the skills I learned from the project. I can sell the extra produce at the nearby local market market in addition to providing food for my kids. Following additional training I recieved, I diversified the variety of vegetables in my homestead garden to include beetroots, sweet potatoes, lettuce, carrot, cabbage, and many more. My kids are happy and healthy because I can provide them with a variety of wholesome, home-grown meals.

There are no words to describe the immensely altering experience that taking part in this initiative has provided me. Our family livelihood has significantly improved because of it. Dedicated to imparting my knowledge and experience to other women, I am a model household in my village for nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Many people have been motivated by this to grow a range of fruits and vegetables, which allows them to not only feed their kids with nutrition reach meals, but also sell the extra produce and generate income.

Recently, the fruit trees we have planted have begun to bear fruit. In May, I harvested enough avocados that I used to make a smooth porridge for my youngest son that he loved it, I gave my other kids avocados and bananas as well. Mango trees are also doing very well and are almost ready to be harvested. I make sure my kids eat enough first, and then I sell any extra at the local market. I'm going to buy some oil and other types of pulses using the money. Right now, we only need to purchase cooking oil and salt from the market because we can produce everything else in our backyard.

The project went beyond simply meeting my nutritional needs. I can confidently say that the project has awakened us from our deep sleep. The project was an eye-opener for us because it has enabled us to explore our surroundings and assess our potential. This way, we were able to identify the locally available resources and develop skills that enabled us to become productive enough to meet our needs and benefit others beyond our locality.

My youngest son is growing up healthy, strong, and smart. Thanks to the guidance of health extension workers and local development agents, I have learned to prepare nutrient-rich meals for my child. Additionally, I have acquired essential knowledge and skills in child-rearing practices. By applying these practices, I have observed significant improvements in my child’s well-being and overall health.

My sincere gratitude goes out to Save the Children and the government for their unwavering support. We are hoping that they will continue to support us become self-sufficient, since it has been really helpful. My aspiration is for all my children to excel in their education and achieve success in their future careers.

What NSA CASE Project of Save the Children is doing for Shige and others like her in the village?

The Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture Capacity Strengthening in Ethiopia (NSA CASE) project was introduced by Save the Children and the Ministry of Agriculture through Grant Under Grant modality in 2019. The federal MoA, Amhara, Oromia, and Somali regional states BoAs are the focus of the five-year pilot project, which aims to enhance the nutritional status of women and children there through effective implementation of NSA strategy. At this point in time, it has succeeded in reaching more than 130 households about 650 NSA model village beneficiaries who produces diversified foods and consumed from their produce. There are a greater number of target households in non-model village woredas of the three project implementing regions produced and consumed diversified foods by scaling up NSA model village initiatives. With a focus on enhancing nutrition, improving farmers' skills and knowledge on how to grow and raise nutrient dense crops and livestock, and educating how to prepare diverse, safe and nutritious meals for their young children with what is locally available through a regular cooking demonstration lesson, the NSA CASE project is playing key role in improving the nutritional status of women and young children in the three regions of Ethiopia.

The NSA CASE project is primarily a capacity and system strengthening project that aims to enhance effective implementation of NSA strategy. NSA model village has been piloted at the two project woredas of Oromia and Amhara regions to serve as a display how much the capacity and system created ensures availability and accessibility of diverse, safe, and nutritious foods for the community, and improves consumption.

Now entering the final phase of its lifecycle, the NSA initiative has demonstrated promising outcomes. These have been particularly evident in the NSA model village, where the project was first implemented. According to feedback from the target families, there has been a marked improvement in maternal knowledge regarding nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices. Consequently, numerous households have succeeded in cultivating a variety of vegetables and fruits. This not only ensures a nutritious supply for their children but also generates additional income through the sale of surplus produce.