Why do we need a new CSN strategy? The Civil Society Network 3.0 strategy (2021-2025) constitutes an essential guide to rally all civil society members’ collective efforts behind a strong mission and vision. The CSN 3.0 strategy was designed for the Network by the Network, in alignment with the overall SUN Movement 3.0 strategy. As such, the […]
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SABER, SER, HACER: Encuentro de Interaprendizaje reunió líderes del Movimiento SUN de Latinoamérica y El Caribe
El Primer Encuentro de Interaprendizaje “Escuchando la voz de la sociedad civil en Latinoamérica y el Caribe”, de las alianzas de la sociedad civil que forman parte del Scaling Up Nutrition (Movimiento SUN), celebrado en diciembre 2020 y enero 2021, permitió que líderes de más de 10 países compartieran sus experiencias exitosas en la lucha […]
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KNOW IT, BE IT, DO IT: Learning exchange brought together leaders of the SUN Movement of Latin America and the Caribbean
The First learning exchange “Listening to the Voice of Civil Society in Latin America and the Caribbean”, of the civil society alliances that are part of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN Movement), held in December 2020 and January 2021, allowed leaders from more than 10 countries to share their successful experiences in the fight against […]
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Climate Change and Nutrition: The Reciprocal Impact
The SUN (Scaling Up Nutrition) Movement is made up of the most important and influential figures in the nutrition world. We are all focussed, dedicated, and driven by the idea of a world free from malnutrition in all its forms. The conversation about poverty and malnutrition has moved on since Bono and Bob Geldof wanted to ‘Feed the World’ and […]
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Nutrition Can’t Wait: Setting the agenda for adolescent nutrition in the context of COVID-19 and beyond.
Written by Irshad Danish and Jigyasa Nawani from Nutrition International, this blog talks about their previous Adolescent Nutrition webinar and what came out of it. You can read the full piece here > https://scalingupnutrition.org/news/nutrition-cant-wait-setting-the-agenda-for-adolescent-nutrition-in-the-context-of-covid-19-and-beyond/ “While adolescents form one-sixth of the world’s population, adolescent nutrition remains an underrated agenda in most countries. With the COVID-19 pandemic interrupting most health and […]
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Joint INGO Statement on Yemen 14th September
Joint INGO Statement on Yemen – 75th session of the UN General Assembly September 2020 We are now sleepwalking towards a seventh year of war, and the people of Yemen can only surmise that the world has forgotten them. The UN Secretary General called in March for a global ceasefire tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, […]
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COVID-19 impacting the health and wellbeing of children and families in Zimbabwe
The outbreak of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe is having drastic consequences to the health and wellbeing of children and their families in both urban and rural communities. Infants, children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are facing significant risks to their nutritional status and well-being especially in contexts where access to essential health and nutrition services and […]
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Nutrition Can’t Wait: Asia Coordination Group Launch Advocacy Campaign
By: Irshad Danish, Nutrition International and Alison Farnham MA, MMedSci, Action for Development Background Nutrition Can’t Wait – The COVID-19 pandemic is a health and human crisis threatening the food security and nutrition of millions of people around the world. Low and lower middle-income countries are more affected. Their existing poor development indicators and fragile […]
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Hunger crisis beckons as Covid-19 causes food prices to soar in Afghanistan
Covid-19 means hunger to Afghans as more than 50% of the population live below the poverty line. Although the country is officially in lock down, many people are forced to choose between staying home hungry or venturing outside to find work, risking infection. Initially, food prices soared up to 70% for common staples largely because […]
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Lessons from civil society resilience as we face COVID-19
“Adapt, Improvise, Overcome – the human spirit will always survive” These are the words of advice a colleague who worked in Ebola affected areas sent to me at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. I expected something much more technical and practical. He is right of course. At a certain point, it’s the spirit and […]
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“Adapt, Improvise, Overcome – the human spirit will always survive”
These are the words of advice a colleague who worked in Ebola affected areas sent to me at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. I expected something much more technical and practical. He is right of course. At a certain point, it’s the spirit and ingenuity of people that shines through.
Adapt
We also need to have the right practical approach. But what is that? The World Health Organisation (WHO) is recommending measures that include:
– Increasing testing, tracking and monitoring of COVID-19 cases so that early action can be taken
– Ensuring personal protection equipment for front line workers
– Securing supply chains for the essential equipment that health systems require to function in this environment
– Introducing behaviour change measures such as physical distancing, increased hand washing and hygiene practices. For example, ensuring you blow your nose into a tissue or sleeve, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
These are the obvious measures to take.
Improvise
However, there are others which are just as important that are clear to most of the activists, change-makers and advocates the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network (SUN CSN) secretariat engages with on a daily basis. Many of them come from countries where the Ebola crisis is a far too recent memory, such as Sierra Leone and Liberia. So what measures do our advocates feel are important in addition to the overarching advice we are receiving?
– Creating communities of care locally. For example, neighbourhood WhatsApp and Facebook groups so that people can communicate and request support with finding essential items such as medicine and food.
– Sharing food and resources. Not sitting down to a big meal together but ensuring that those who are most vulnerable have what they need to get through. Prior to this crisis there were many people vulnerable to food insecurity or who struggled to obtain the nutrients they needed. Those who were most vulnerable before are likely to be even more so now.
– Communication is crucial. It’s the moment to put a note through the door of an elderly disabled, or chronically ill neighbour. It’s the time to check that those around you understand the guidance.
– Campaign and call out. Many activists in other countries are facing increasing pressure and intimidation from their governments or armed actors in their vicinity. We in nations with less restrictions on our voice have a responsibility to keep in touch with our allies and call out on their behalf if required.
Overcome
At moments like this it’s a bittersweet pleasure and a privilege to feel so connected to others and to be part of a global network helping to combat the pandemic. It feels like a turning point in global cooperation – if we work together we can overcome!
