Health workers and community stakeholders in Bambilor, Senegal, are helping shape recipes to support more diverse, nutritious diets for young children. Through a series of workshops organised by Sight and Life, participants identified eight local recipes, then prepared, tasted and evaluated them to explore their suitability for everyday family life.

The activities form part of the NICE (Nutrition in City Ecosystems) project in Senegal. Two co-creation workshops took place on 28 August and 1 September 2026, with support from Bambilor’s Food Governance Initiative Committee (CIGA), followed by a cooking and tasting session on 9 September.

Drawing on local knowledge

The initial workshops explored the communities’ food environment, consumption habits and the factors influencing families’ food choices. Participants identified eight recipes incorporating ingredients such as eggs, cereals, pulses and vegetables: enriched millet porridge, mashed potatoes with vegetables, rice porridge with egg, mashed vegetables, enriched flour porridge, mashed mango, coconut fritters, and lakhou bissap—a local dish made with millet and dried fish.

Participants work together during the NICE recipe preparation session in Bambilor, Senegal, to develop nutritious meals for children under five.

“I participated in the co-creation workshop to brainstorm nutritious and beneficial recipes for children ages 1 to 5,” said Khady Ndong, a life and earth science teacher at Bambilor High School, and a member of CIGA’s Hygiene, Environment and Consumption Working Group. “We identified dishes, including meals and snacks, that would provide children with a nutritious, balanced meal that supports their growth by supplying minerals, fibre, and essential nutrients for their development. It was a beneficial and enriching workshop."

From recipes to practice

At the session on 9 September, participants prepared, tasted and evaluated the recipes, assessing their taste, preparation time, ease of preparation and acceptability. Their feedback and suggested adjustments will help refine both the recipes and the practical advice shared in future community activities.

For Adama Khoulé, a development worker (Badianou Guokh) at the Bambilor health clinic, the recipes offer an opportunity to build on existing support for children.

"The workshop was very helpful for me; I learned a lot. I’m happy with the recipes we were given for malnourished children. These recipes will be added to the ones we already prepare for these children. The workshop was very interesting to us. I would like to see the cooking demonstrations begin with these new recipes. We, the Badianou Guokh, are ready and willing to support you in this process,” said Adame.

Participants taste and evaluate the recipes, providing feedback to help refine them for future community activities.

Khady Thiane Ndoye, Sight and Life’s Country Programme Manager in Senegal, highlighted the value of community involvement throughout the process.

“This workshop was a particularly rewarding experience, as it allowed us to move from co-creating recipes to putting them into practice with community members. Seeing the participants prepare, taste, discuss, and suggest improvements themselves reinforces our belief in the importance of involving communities in finding nutritional solutions tailored to their daily lives." - Khady Thiane Ndoye

Taking Smart Food Tips forward

The refined recipes, accompanied by messages and practical advice, will support the next stages of Sight and Life’s Smart Food Tips approach, which includes community dialogues, cooking demonstrations and support for behaviour change.

“The feedback we received will now allow us to refine these recipes and continue developing Smart Food Tips with simple, nutritious solutions that families can easily prepare,” said Khady.

Community stakeholders share knowledge and discuss local food practices during a NICE co-creation workshop in Bambilor.

Collaboration with CIGA has helped ground the work in the local context and bring together stakeholders across the municipality around food and nutrition. Through this participatory approach, Sight and Life and its local partners aim to connect nutritional recommendations with families’ everyday realities, supporting the adoption of more diverse and nutritious diets.

NICE implementing partners in Senegal

• Food Governance Initiative Committee of the Municipality of Bambilor (CIGA)
• Food System Observatory of the Department of Kaffrine (ObSTAT)
• Swiss TPH
• Rikolto
• CREATES
• National Council for Nutrition Development (CNDN)

About NICE

Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE) supports locally led action to improve nutrition through collaboration across agriculture, food and health, bringing together public and private partners with a strong emphasis on women and youth entrepreneurs. Supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the project works in eight secondary cities across Bangladesh, Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal to improve health and nutrition and contribute to poverty reduction, particularly among women, young people and vulnerable groups.

Working closely with local authorities, NICE strengthens food governance and connects demand for nutritious foods with their production and availability through agroecological practices. Its city knowledge hubs support shared learning to improve urban and rural  food environments and inform national and global policies. For more: https://nice.ethz.ch