How can Nutrition in Emergencies programmes optimise young child development?

"NUTRITION AS EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT:
How can Nutrition in Emergencies programmes optimise young child development?"

Wednesday, 15 May 2024, 2 – 3pm (CET/Geneva Time)  

• Speaker: Maureen Black from RTI International and University of Maryland School of Medicine
• Panel of practitioners: Rosemary Mwaisaka, Africa ECD Network | Hana Rabadi, World Vision | Luisa Vargas, Save the Children

Nutrition interventions in emergencies are essential to child survival, growth, and development. So, how can we further amplify the effects on immediate and sustained child development by enhancing our approach to Nutrition in Emergencies?

Maureen Black from RTI International and University of Maryland School of Medicine will join us to discuss the importance of investing in Early Childhood Development (ECD) along with a panel of practitioners who will share examples from their work in East Africa, State of Palestine, and Colombia.

In this webinar, you will hear about innovative strategies, key challenges, necessary support, and insights into ways we can shift the field towards more holistic programming for young children in crisis and conflict settings. A short time for Q&A will follow.

This webinar will be in English with simultaneous translation into French, Spanish, and Arabic.

Have questions? Email us at: akendle@actionagainsthunger.ca or erolland@unicef.org

We look forward to seeing you there!  

Photo: ©UNICEF

Panellists bios

Maureen Black, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, a Distinguished Fellow at RTI International, and an Adjunct Professor in the Center for Human Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 

She completed her doctoral training in psychology at Emory University and a fellowship at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA, and she specializes in research, programs, and policies related to early childhood development and nutrition. At the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Dr. Black directs an interdisciplinary Growth and Nutrition Practice for children under 3 years-of-age with growth and /or feeding problems.

Ms. Rosemary Mwaisaka has broad experience in public health, nutrition and development; policies, high level advocacy, capacity building, programme planning, management, monitoring and evaluation. She has more than 17 years of experience in the field of Public Health, Nutrition and Development through working with the UN and other international organizations. 

She has previously worked with ECSA HC (East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community) to provide leadership in establishing regional policies, strategies, guidelines and support capacity development, knowledge generation and dissemination and advocacy efforts on NCDs, food security and nutrition. She has pioneered the ECD agenda in the region by facilitating adoption of global Nurturing Care Framework in 9 ECSA-HC member states through the established Responsive Caregiving Experts' Committee and worked with African Union Commission (AUC) and West African Health Organization (WAHO) to advance the holistic child development agenda in the Africa continent. Contact: rosemary@afecn.org

Hana Rabadi Abu Al Zuluf is a nutrition and public health expert and currently a PhD candidate in public health/ ECD focus at Al-Quds University. Hana joined World Vision international 14 years ago, as Lead of Health /ECD and for the last 4 years as Director of Evidence, Learning and Accountability. Hana has many years of experience with integrated programming health, nutrition and ECD programs and has coordinated and managed several community-based programs. She has contributed to several research projects focusing on ECD and presented at several national and international conferences. 

She currently leads the Evidence, Learning, and Accountability team, whose primary role is to ensure consistent evidence building and high-quality monitoring and evaluation (M&E) processes at World Vision, Jerusalem -West Bank and Gaza office.

Luisa Fernanda Vargas is the current Senior Technical Expert in Health and Nutrition at Save the Children Colombia, with more than 12 years of experience in key areas such as development, research, critical care in pediatrics, and university teaching. She holds a master's degree in Child Development, further enhancing her expertise in her field. Her focus is on strengthening research knowledge in early childhood and school-age mental health.

During her career, she has participated in several conferences where she has presented relevant papers in her field of expertise. In her current role, she leads the activities of the health and nutrition sector of Save the Children in Colombia, contributing significantly to the development and implementation of programs focused on improving the health and nutrition of children in the country.

Eduardo García Rolland is a humanitarian worker with more than 25 years of experience in child protection, management, emergencies, education, nutrition and early childhood development in emergencies. He holds a law degree and a masters on international humanitarian aid from Spain and Germany. 

In 1995, Eduardo started working in Peru as a volunteer and afterwards in Burundi. Since then Eduardo has been involved in different emergencies, civil wars, and natural disasters in Rwanda, DRC, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Chad, Central African Republic, Colombia, Mexico, Haiti, Sri Lanka, Jordan, etc. He has worked in civil society organisations as well as intergovernmental agencies. Nowadays, he is a Early Childhood Development Specialist focusing on humanitarian settings within the Nutrition and Child Development Team.