In the week of 16 to 20 October 2023, the Micro Nutrient Forum was hosted in The Hague. Various types of stakeholders (donors, NGOs, private sector) came together at a location in the centre of the city to discuss the importance of nutritious food.
We are Able! and Right2Grow, two consortia focussing on food security under the Power of Voices partnership framework of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were invited to organize a session on the importance of nutritious food in programmes.
Community-led development
The result was a session on the first day of the forum with several speakers from South Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia, discussing the importance of food security for vulnerable groups, in this case persons with disabilities and children. We are Able! underlined the importance of community-led development, where civil society organizations (CSOs) and organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) are strengthened at the grassroot level to advocate for themselves.
For WaA! staff, it was refreshing to collaborate with another consortium and develop this together. Additionally, during the session there was interaction with the audience. Several participants asked about the programme’s objectives and results. “We were able to bring across several of our key advocacy messages, focusing on disability inclusion in food security programmes,” WaA! staff members concluded.
