A Senegal village expo puts complementary feeding in the spotlight

On 17 December 2016, the exposition “Wallu Doom” brought hundreds to Pikine city, to the east of Dakar city centre in Senegal, to get involved in activities about complementary feeding. The exposition was the final step to a behaviour change strategy put in place across the country. Parents of young children, women of reproductive age, breastfeeding mothers, grandparents, community leaders and media were key spectators at the event.

January 4, 2017 - Last update: February 10, 2023

On 17 December 2016, the exposition “Wallu Doom” brought hundreds to Pikine city, east of Dakar city centre in Senegal, to get involved in activities about complementary feeding. The exposition was the final step to a behaviour change strategy put in place across the country. Parents of young children, women of reproductive age, breastfeeding mothers, grandparents, community leaders and media were key spectators at the event.

Adequate nutrition for children from the age group of 6-24 months is an essential component to achieve the results of Senegal’s nutrition plans. The efforts are led by the National Cell in the Fight Against Malnutrition (Cellule de Lutte Contre la Malnutrition) and include improving knowledge in the community of good food practices and of local products that meet the nutritional needs of children.

The objectives of the campaign were to:

Sensitise the community about complementary feeding
Promote good nutrition practices in the homes of children between 6-24 months
Promote dietary diversification
Promote nutritional culinary practices using local ingredients
Communicate the nutritional needs, quantities and quality that is adequate for children between 6-24 months