Stories of Change


Ramazabee and her daughter.

Nutrition Education for Refugees in Thailand

Thirteen people live in Ramazabee’s household in Umpiem Mai, a camp in Thailand for refugees from Myanmar. Among the 13 are her three children–two sons and her 8-month-old daughter.

Remazabee says that she used to not fully understand how to care for her young children properly. She watched what others around her were doing and tried to do the same, but she didn’t have experts to talk to. When she was pregnant with her daughter, however, she joined the “Healthy Babies, Bright Futures” offered through CWS partner The Border Consortium.

Through this program, Ramazabee joined nutrition education sessions led by health and nutrition specialists. When her daughter turned six months old, Ramazabee joined an infant and young child feeding program. She accessed extra nutrition information and education from other refugees who now serve as Food Security and Nutrition Specialists in the camp. From them, Ramazabee learned the importance of eating nutritious foods and how to feed her children well according to their age. She learned how to use BabyBRIGHT, a complementary baby food. Then she received a monthly portion as incentive to stay engaged. During group cooking demonstrations, Ramazabee better understood the important nutrients in it that can be found in other foods in the camp. So, with BabyBRIGHT and locally sourced nutritious food, her daughter and is healthy and growing well — as confirmed during monthly Growth Monitoring appointments.

During a visit with staff from The Border Consortium, Ramazabee’s brother joined the conversation and said he recognized that his niece is quite happy and seems healthier than her older brother had been as a young child. He especially noted that she is not often sick.

Ramazabee expressed her happiness with young child feeding program activities, which inspire her to take care of her daughter every day.