Cultivons Les Relations

This is the French language version of “Nurturing Connections.”

The Nurturing Connections curriculum for gender and nutrition, initially developed by Helen Keller International (HKI) in Bangladesh, was inspired by the peer-based “Stepping Stones” program addressing HIV/AIDS and sexual health in Africa. Both approaches recognize that behavior change is a process that requires internalizing new concepts, that gender norms are driven by community norms and group dynamics, and that adults learn best through action and experience. The curriculum can be adapted to other contexts in Asia. A French language edition, Cultivons les Relations, was developed and tested in West Africa by HKI and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).

Nurturing Connections draws on HKI’s decades of experience implementing Enhanced Homestead Food Production (EHFP), an intervention that has been used to empower women in their capacity to produce and contribute to household income while improving the quality and diversity of nutrition for their children and themselves. Nurturing Connections supports not just young women, but also their husbands, fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law, as all family members as well as the surrounding community must work together to confront and overturn gender-based discrimination. The process involves a series of facilitated discussions of two to three hours in length are conducted in each community among peer groups: a group of women (beneficiaries), a group of their husbands, and a group of influential elders.

The curriculum consists of four “Blocks”, or topics, each of which is delivered in weekly discussions over a four week period: 1. Let’s Communicate; 2. Understanding Perceptions and Gender; 3. Negotiating Power; and 4. Acting for Change.

Source: Helen Keller International

Date of Publication: March 25, 2019