ACF Advocacy Training in Senegal: Building a West African Network of “Nutrition Champions”

In October 2013, thanks to financial support from the Agence Française de Développment (AFD) and the Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA), Action Against Hunger’s (ACF’s) West Africa Regional Office held an advocacy training for 25 members of civil society, ACF and Red Cross staff from West Africa.

The week long training in Dakar, Senegal, brought together people who are already active in the fight against under nutrition from 11 countries in the region. By providing expert advocacy support and creating a space to share experiences and learning, the training was a crucial step towards improving ACF and civil society’s advocacy capacity in West Africa and creating a network of “Nutrition Champions” who will work to ensure that the fight against malnutrition is prioritised by decision makers across the region.

Using the ACF advocacy toolkit, the training combined theoretical learning with case studies, group and individual exercises and role plays. The interest, enthusiasm and active engagement of all the participants, combined with the depth and diversity of their experience, led to rich exchanges and a high level of debate. External speakers, including the Senior Regional Gender Advisor for WFP, the SUN Civil Society Network Coordinator and the REACH Regional Facilitator, presented on key issues affecting the region, as well as global initiatives to improve the prevention and treatment of malnutrition. Experiences of advocacy at national level were shared by various participants, including Melrose Tucker, the SUN Civil Society Focal Point for Sierra Leone and Dr. Souley Harouna, the SUN Civil Society Focal Point for Niger.

On the final day of the training, participants were asked to put their learning and theoretical knowledge into practice. Working in country groups, they determined joint advocacy objectives, identified opportunities and proposed different activities. ACF is organizing a follow-up workshop at the end of March 2014, in order to review progress, share lessons learned, identify future opportunities and plan next steps.

 The ACF Advocacy Toolkit is available in French and English.