How Groups Will Help Child Nutrition in Tower Hamlets

To mark the end of Ramadan, Women and Children First is announcing a new project with support from the Access Foundation, to improve child nutrition among Bengali-speaking communities in the borough of Tower Hamlets in London.

These will help 100 parents and their children towards better diets, giving them the best chance to reach their potential.

Without good nutrition and care in childhood, children are more at risk of developing illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and dental disorders.

Young Bengali-speaking children from South Asian communities, including India and Bangladesh, living in the UK are highly exposed to these problems.

Women and Children First, with our partners, was involved in a recent successful project in Tower Hamlets called ‘Nurture Early for Optimal Nutrition’ (NEON). Here, community groups were set up to bring mothers together to discuss how they can improve their young children’s nutrition.

Lily Islam and Tanjida Shimu, two community facilitators from the study, have seen growing interest in their communities and want to continue spreading the word about the importance of improved child nutrition.

Lily says about this new work, “It means so much, because of the impact NEON had in inspiring mums to find a tailored pathway to improve their children's health and their own wellbeing and personal development.

“This will allow us to build on this approach by providing a safe space to come together, learn, inspire and motivate mums to tackle poor nutrition, obesity and access services to give their children a good start in life.”

This new project, taking place in 2024, will deliver a comprehensive programme, including:

A translated comprehensive recipe book of meals

The recipe book is full of South Asian meals adapted for young children, by the community and an accredited dietician, Dr Helen Crawley.

It includes vegetarian, meat, and fish dishes, as well as finger food. Translation into Bengali will enable more people to use the recipes and advice.

Educational sessions on nutrition across local primary schools

Delivered in Bengali, the talks will expand the important knowledge to parents of children up to Key Stage 1 (7 years old).

Groups will be discussing advice about good nutrition, creating healthy snacks and where good food can be bought.

People will get a chance to ask questions and sample some of the recipes from the book, providing them reassurance about the quality and taste of the food.

Community health groups

Eight 2-hour sessions will provide each group and set of parents a forum for discussing concerns, sharing knowledge, and learning how to make the recipes.

Translated discussion cards will help prompt discussion around the barriers that prevent caregivers from implementing the recommended nutrition and care practices – including lack of awareness, attitudes, lack of social support, and a lack of affordable fresh fruit and vegetables.

Women and Children First will be supporting Lily and Tanjida in developing these inspiring, effective initiatives. This project will help enable more parents to improve their child’s nutrition.