Africa’s long-standing battle against child malnutrition and stunting is taking a new direction as the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) introduces a community-driven model that places local voices at the heart of policy transformation.
At a side event held during the 21st Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Partnership Platform and the 16th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security, FANRPAN unveiled its ACTIVATE Africa initiative, an evidence-based and participatory approach aimed at improving infant and young child nutrition through active community engagement.
Opening the session, FANRPAN Director of Policy Advocacy and Communication, Francis Hale, described ACTIVATE Africa as a bold shift away from traditional top-down interventions. He noted that while nutrition remains a critical topic on the continent, many interventions overlook the early stages where most nutritional mistakes occur — the transition from exclusive breastfeeding to solid foods. This period, he said, determines a child’s lifelong health trajectory.
The pilot project is being implemented in Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya across urban and rural communities. Instead of relying on standard surveys and structured questionnaires, FANRPAN has adopted Theatre for Policy Advocacy, an interactive method that uses drama, music, and storytelling to provoke honest discussions around child-feeding practices. Hale said communities tend to open up more when they see their daily realities acted out in familiar languages and settings.
Under ACTIVATE Africa, community members take the lead as actors, documenters, facilitators, and advocates. FANRPAN trains these local champions to guide post-performance dialogues, creating an inclusive platform where women, men, elders, and youth can openly confront cultural beliefs and taboos that influence child nutrition.
Dr. Beatrice Kiage, a FANRPAN Associate and researcher with the African Population and Health Research Center, shared insights from the project’s rollout in Kiambu and Kilifi counties in Kenya. Her team used theatre to address the critical first 1,000 days of a child’s life, focusing on breastfeeding and complementary feeding. She said dramatization made it easier for families to relate to challenges, such as tensions between mothers and mothers-in-law over feeding methods, resulting in more candid community conversations.
In Kenya, the project trained mothers, fathers, and health workers as community advocates and worked closely with journalists to counter misinformation around infant feeding. Surveys conducted after the intervention showed better understanding among caregivers, fewer myths, and greater involvement by fathers and grandparents in feeding decisions. Dr. Kiage emphasised that cultural norms are deeply entrenched, but dialogue-based models help turn previously resistant groups into allies.
In Côte d’Ivoire, FANRPAN Associate Zainab Touré reported promising outcomes from Bengassou and Amour communities, where more than 950 people participated in the initiative. She noted a significant increase in the participation of men and traditional leaders, marking a shift from the perception that child nutrition is a matter solely for mothers. The project also sparked demand for continued engagement, with volunteers expressing interest in becoming community relays for the next phase.
Touré said communities recommended wider use of interactive learning tools, public cooking demonstrations, fortified foods, government-supported nutrition vouchers, and stronger monitoring systems. They also urged communication through radio, television, billboards, and community leaders to ensure broader public reach.
Former GIZ Cameroon expert Alain Rousseau praised Theatre for Policy Advocacy as a powerful complement to conventional research. He observed that nutrition challenges are often tied to broader issues such as trade patterns, market incentives, and local food production dynamics. Rousseau encouraged FANRPAN to expand the model beyond childhood nutrition and integrate it with tools such as nutrition-sensitive budget tracking already in use elsewhere on the continent.
FANRPAN CEO Dr. Tshilidzi Madzivhandila closed the session by highlighting what makes ACTIVATE Africa distinct. For decades, he said, rural communities have been heavily researched yet excluded from decision-making. ACTIVATE Africa changes that by positioning community members as knowledge holders and storytellers capable of influencing policies from the ground up. He pointed to three defining strengths of the initiative: evidence-based messaging, empowered local advocates, and theatre-driven dialogue that connects lived experiences to policymaking.
Dr. Madzivhandila added that lessons from the pilot programme will inform the next phase of ACTIVATE Africa, which seeks to scale up the model and anchor it in local governance and nutrition strategies across the continent. He said the initiative marks a shift from speaking about communities to speaking with them — an approach he believes is essential for lasting policy change.
The ACTIVATE Africa model, supported by FANRPAN in collaboration with GIZ and national partners, signals a new chapter in Africa’s fight against malnutrition. Through theatre, open dialogue, and community leadership, the initiative bridges the gap between research and reality, giving families the tools to champion the nutritional well-being of their children.
