Poor nutrition in the first years of life shapes a child's growth, learning and lifelong health, and it also drags on household income and national productivity. Yet many health and community workers have never been taught to recognise the different forms of malnutrition or explain why they occur. Over five days you work through stunting, wasting, underweight, micronutrient deficiencies and the rising problem of overweight, using the UNICEF conceptual framework to trace immediate, underlying and basic causes. Practical sessions show how to take MUAC, weight and height measurements, plot them against WHO growth standards and interpret z-scores.
Later sessions cover maternal nutrition and the first 1,000 days, breastfeeding and complementary feeding, dietary diversity, WASH and food safety, and the difference between nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions. You also look at community-based management of acute malnutrition, growth monitoring and social and behaviour change communication. It suits community health workers, nurses, nutrition and public health officers, NGO programme staff, agricultural extension officers and teachers involved in school feeding. Delivered in the classroom, online or in-house, it ends with a CPD-accredited certificate and the confidence to screen, counsel and refer with sound basic judgement.
Malnutrition in all its forms remains a persistent barrier to health and development across Africa, from children who are too short for their age to adults living with diet-related disease. Tackling it does not require every frontline worker to be a nutritionist, but it does require a shared understanding of what good nutrition looks like, how to spot when it is failing and which actions make a difference at household and community level.
The Improving Health and Nutrition Fundamentals Training Course builds that understanding from the ground up. Participants begin with nutrients, food groups and the nutritional needs of different life stages, then examine the causes and consequences of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and overweight. Anthropometric assessment is taught hands-on, followed by maternal and child feeding practices, hygiene and sanitation links, and the main programme approaches used by health ministries and NGOs, including supplementation, fortification, community management of acute malnutrition and behaviour change communication.
The teaching style suits newcomers to the field. Short explanations are followed by measurement practice with scales, height boards and MUAC tapes, counselling role-plays and small group work on real community scenarios. Each participant finishes by sketching a simple nutrition action plan for their own facility, project or community.
On completing the five days, participants will be able to:
By the final session, each participant will take away:
Learning is practical and pitched for participants who are new to nutrition. Sessions combine:
Day 1: Nutrition Basics and Life-Stage Needs
Day 2: Forms, Causes and Consequences of Malnutrition
Day 3: Measuring Nutritional Status
Day 4: Feeding Practices, WASH and Community Interventions
Day 5: Programmes, Behaviour Change and Action Planning
Anyone whose work touches maternal, child or community health will benefit, particularly:
A CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy is awarded to every participant who attends the full five days and completes the measurement practicals and action-planning exercise.
Upcoming cohorts
CPD-Accredited
Official invoice & confirmation letter provided
Team discount for 3+ seats
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Everything you need to know about this course before you register.
By the end of the Improving Health and Nutrition Fundamentals programme, you'll be able to describe the functions of macronutrients and micronutrients and the dietary needs of children, adolescents, pregnant women and older people, distinguish stunting, wasting, underweight, micronutrient deficiency and overweight, and explain their consequences, use the unicef conceptual framework to identify the immediate, underlying and basic causes of malnutrition in a community, and take and record weight, height and muac measurements accurately and interpret them against who growth standards. The full breakdown of topics is covered session by session in the Course Outline tab above.
Anyone whose work touches maternal, child or community health will benefit, particularly: Community health workers and community health volunteers, Nurses, midwives and clinical officers in primary health facilities, Public health and nutrition officers new to the role, NGO and humanitarian programme officers in health, food security and livelihoods, Agricultural extension officers supporting household food production, School health and school feeding coordinators, Early childhood development caregivers and social workers, and Members of district and county health management teams.
Improving Health and Nutrition Fundamentals Training Course typically runs as 5 Days. It's available as in-person classroom, live virtual, and in-house corporate training — every course can also be delivered on-site for your team on dates that suit you.
Improving Health and Nutrition Fundamentals Training Course is scheduled in-classroom in Nairobi, Kenya, Mombasa, Kenya, Naivasha, Kenya, and Kisumu, Kenya, and 14 other locations, plus a live interactive virtual classroom you can join from anywhere. Check the schedule panel above for exact upcoming dates and fees in each location.
The next live virtual cohort of Improving Health and Nutrition Fundamentals starts November 2, 2026, with new classroom cohorts also running on a rolling basis. Pick a date and location in the schedule panel above, then click "Register for the Course" — it takes a few minutes and your seat is confirmed once payment or a signed purchase order is received.
Yes — delegates who meet the attendance requirement receive a Certificate of Completion for Improving Health and Nutrition Fundamentals Training Course from Vision Reach Global Consultancy, issued in the name you register with, so double-check the spelling at checkout.
Improving Health and Nutrition Fundamentals Training Course is pitched at beginner professionals. If you're unsure whether it's the right fit for your current role or background, message our training advisors before you register and they'll help you confirm.
Fees for Improving Health and Nutrition Fundamentals Training Course vary by delivery location and format and are shown in real time in the schedule panel above once you pick a date. Register 3 or more delegates on the same course together and a 5% team discount is applied automatically — larger cohorts can request a custom corporate quote.
Yes — Improving Health and Nutrition Fundamentals Training Course can be delivered on-site at your offices (or virtually for distributed teams), with case studies and examples tailored to your industry and the specific challenges your team is working through. Switch to the "In-House" tab in the schedule panel above to request a proposal.
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