The Ministry of Health and the Environment, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), this week conducted a Train the Trainer Workshop on Growth Monitoring and Child Development Using New Child Health Records for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, at the Division of Nursing Education, Largo Height.{{more}}

The aim of the workshop, was to increase awareness and improve the competence level of front line workers in nutrition and child development, using the recently updated child health record as a main tool for guidance. It is a

starting point and follow up training and other activities will be organized, to support primary health care services to include, growth monitoring, child development assessment and counseling, as an integral part of the routine care, for every young child registered in the primary health care service.

After completing this workshop, participants should be able to train other health workers to accurately assess and monitor growth status and to conduct basic developmental screening, as a basis for counseling parents in the first five years of their child’s life.

Course participants included, nurses and nutrition personnel form the health sector and early childhood educators from the education sector.

The main workshop facilitators were, Paula Trotter, Infant and Young Child Nutrition Advisor, from the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI) PAHO/WHO; Dr. Francisco Astorino, Paediatric Neurologist and Dr. Betzabe Butron-Riveros, Family and Reproductive Health Advisor, from the Office of East Caribbean Coordination (ECC) PAHO/WHO. They will be assisted by Consultant Paediatrician, Dr. Rosemary Boyle and Nutritionist and National Infant and Young Child Nutrition Coordinator, Andrea Robin.

The workshop was sponsored by the National HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project and is an activity of the National Infant and Young Child Nutrition Plan of Action 2005-2009 and the ongoing Growth Monitoring and Promotion Project, both of which are coordinated be The Nutrition Unit in the Ministry of Health and the Environment.