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“Our story will not be complete nor successful, if we do not include the grandmothers. The grandmothers cannot be left out.” ~Bichekwa Ronald
Youth granny fellowship held on the 15th-June-2022
Children spend most of their time with grand mothers, regardless of whether they are orphans or neglected or with parents. this means that we can not talk about a Ugandan child without talking about the grannies. Old persons are a very core resource in the growth of our children, they have lots of pre-tested solutions, wisdom and vast knowledge which need to be shared by our young generation. when we integrate the young and old then we create a strong team that can face this world with a lot of consciousness, courage, wisdom and strength. most children are living in fear simply because they have not embraced the role of grannies in their life.
Grannies of Pallisa like many other old Ugandans have indirectly or directly assumed the responsibilities of the children. 3-5 grannies live with 5-11 grandchildren who need to eat, drink, access education and medication. most of these grannies are widows who are illiterates, jobless and living in life threatening grass thatched houses, they are becoming weak every day due to the pressure from the innocent children. Most children with their parents prefer staying with their grandmothers because of the increased violence in the home which leaves the children with no love to enjoy from their parents, and plans to marry off young girls simply for bride price.
Grandmothers across the Uganda play a far more important role than the go-to babysitter on date night. As it turns out, we’ve learned that grandmothers are vital to not only caring for young children but also advising and educating younger women in their communities on all aspects of family well-being. Interestingly, in the rural areas, the influence of grandmothers even extends to the men in their communities as well.
The work of the Youth-Granny program and Ronlilley Foundation-Uganda has demonstrated that when grandmothers are acknowledged, included and given access to new information, their commitment and contribution to family and community health and well-being increases. Empowering grandmothers; enhancing communication between grandmothers, younger women and men, and strengthening the role of grandmother groups can also contribute to strengthening understanding and social cohesion within families and communities.
When it comes to the health and nutrition of mothers and their children, grandmothers play a vital role in providing support during pregnancy, labour, delivery and the postpartum period. And we know that because of all this, grandmothers have a significant influence on maternal and child health and nutrition practices. Despite this influence, grandmothers are often ignored as a resource for advancing the goals of health and nutrition programs.
Adequate nutrition during pregnancy, infancy and early childhood is critical to ensure optimal growth, development and survival of children. Children weakened by malnutrition often die from diseases that are both preventable and easy to treat, such as diarrhea and pneumonia.
Those lucky enough to survive often suffer frequent illnesses and reduced opportunities for education and income earning. Young women with a history of malnutrition tend to have more difficulty in childbirth and give birth to smaller babies, thus perpetuating a cycle of malnutrition. In Pallisa, maternal and child malnutrition persists at high levels with long-term impacts on the nation’s social and economic development.
OUR TAKE
OUR TAKE
Starting in 2021, Ronlilley Foundation began empowering grandmothers in Pallisa District to be positive agents of change in their community. Known as TATAs, which means “grandmothers” in Ateso, the innovative project implemented a grandmother-inclusive approach to social and behavior change for nutrition and child growth. This approach builds on the culturally-designated role of grandmothers as advisors and caregivers. It aims to strengthen grandmothers’ knowledge and self-efficacy to promote positive health practices in the community and also creating self sustainable grannies.
STRATEGIC APPROACH
STRATEGIC APPROACH
In the approach, community members are supported to analyze the role, relationships and influence of specific family members in their community, and as a result come to recognize the important roles that grandmothers play. Grandmothers are then publicly recognized and praised through intergenerational community sessions that highlight the positive roles of grandmothers in the community when it comes to maternal and child health. Relationships between daughters and mothers-in-law are improved – this is demonstrated during the praise sessions, when daughters or young mothers are given the opportunity to openly praise the grandmothers through a song, performing a skit or dance, or making a speech. Through this process, grandmothers not only acquire more confidence but are also strengthened in their traditional role within the community.
Weekly participatory dialogue sessions are also held with grandmothers to promote key nutrition messages. Finally, intergenerational forums in which grandmothers and young mothers come together for dialogue on nutrition and health issues are held.
OUTCOMES IN MOTION
OUTCOMES IN MOTION
As a result, grandmothers under the youth-granny program are empowered and have higher self-efficacy scores compared to grandmothers in non-program communities. One grandmother explained her sense of pride by saying “We feel that we are important. We are assigned a particular duty and we feel a sense of belonging.” Overwhelmingly, the community responds that they have great respect for grandmothers as a result of the program. Not only are grandmothers themselves empowered, this recognition gives a voice to all females in the household, permitting a more enabling household environment for women to put recommendations into practice.
Communities also perceive that the improved relationships resulting from the grandmother -inclusive approach facilitate more effective transfer of knowledge to children . At the close of Kaucho youth granny project, 90% of grandmothers in project communities understand the issues of proper nutrition for mothers and babies, significantly more than in non-project communities.
This knowledge is clearly transferred to pregnant women and mothers as significant improvements were observed for improved nutrition practices during pregnancy and for infants and young children. What’s more, women had less complications in their pregnancies and gave birth to healthier babies. Even men in the community recognize the amazing power of empowering women – male community members credit the project with decreasing maternal death and improving child health.
“Our story will not be complete nor successful, if we do not include the grandmothers. The grandmothers cannot be left out.”
Based on the findings of high overall acceptability and effectiveness, the grandmother-inclusive approach has great potential. Future nutrition and child well-being programs must consider familial and community relationships and how strengthening these through intergenerational dialogue and community praise forums may improve program effectiveness. A grandmother-inclusive approach is not exclusive to nutrition. Research in other contexts have highlighted the potential effectiveness of the approach to address other child well-being domains, including early child marriage and genital cutting.
The amazing impact grandmothers have on their communities should remind us all to be thankful for these women in our lives. So the next time your mother or mother-in-law is driving you crazy, remember all the incredible benefits they provide the world over. Quite possibly, they have a far bigger impact here at home than most of us realize.
Giving hope by redesigning the future of the most vulnerable
“Our story will not be complete nor successful, if we do not include the grandmothers. The grandmothers cannot be left out.”
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