SABINA’S CHANGEMAKING STORY
Sabina Akter, a PPEPP-EU member from Boloibuniya Union in Bagerhat, never imagined that a simple colour-coded measuring tape would transform not only her daughter’s life but also the wellbeing of many children in her community. Like many mothers, she believed that identifying child malnutrition was the responsibility of health workers, had little understanding of acute malnutrition and did not realise that a child could be malnourished without visible signs.
Things changed when Sabina took part in the PPEPP-EU project’s MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference) campaign, designed to educate mothers to detect malnutrition early in their children under five at home using the MUAC tape and to take immediate action. She learned to use the colour-coded MUAC tape to detect acute malnutrition in children under five at home. She measured her 32-month-old daughter’s arm and found the tape indicates the yellow zone, signifying Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM). Without delay, Sabina contacted the project’s nutrition team. The child’s diagnosis was confirmed and Sabina’s family received counselling on age-appropriate feeding practices, a nutritious diet plan, and regular follow-up support. Sabina carefully followed every recommendation while continuing to monitor her daughter’s MUAC at home. Over the next four months, her daughter’s nutritional status steadily improved and she is now safe in the green zone. Today, she is healthy, active, and playful, and enjoys eating like any other child of her age.
As Sabina realised that many other parents shared the same lack of awareness she once had, she began visiting neighbouring households with her MUAC tape. She started measuring children’s arms, explaining the importance of regular nutritional screening and encouraging parents to seek timely care whenever a child shows signs of moderate or severe acute malnutrition. Today, families in her village trust her guidance and children identified as nutritionally at risk are referred to nearby government health facilities before their condition deteriorates.
LEARNING BY THE MUAC CAMPAIGN
To enhance mothers’ awareness and promote early detection and community referral for acute malnutrition, the PPEPP-EU project launched the MUAC campaign for mothers of children under five in September 2025. By equipping mothers with practical knowledge and simple tools like the MUAC tape, the PPEPP-EU project is enabling communities to detect malnutrition early, take timely action, and ensure every child has a healthier start in life.
As of June 2026, the project has organised 128 MUAC campaign sessions, reaching 5,663 mothers. Through their active participation, 236 previously unrecognised malnourished children have been identified and referred to nearby Community Clinics and Union Health & Family Welfare Centers (UH&FWCs) for appropriate management.
With financial support from the European Union, PKSF has been implementing the PPEPP-EU project across 145 unions in 34 upazilas of 12 poverty-stricken and climate-vulnerable districts of Bangladesh, where poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition and social exclusion remain persistent challenges. Therefore, improving nutritional status and strengthening primary healthcare for the targeted households are among the project’s core priorities.