The project, dubbed 'Lesso Lessons', aims to use traditionally patterned fabric garments (called 'lessos') to educate young Kenyan mothers in rural areas on proper postnatal nutritional care.

The duo says that lessos are commonly used as slings by Kenyan women to carry their babies on their backs as they work. Traditionally, the lessos are usually adorned with words of hope and love and they are often passed down to convey tribal stories and wisdom over many generations.

Lesso Lessons is an initiative that makes use of creative and design thinking to tackle this issue in a way that fits into Kenyan women's lives, says the duo.

Along with input from healthcare professionals, the team adapted over one million data points from some of the most recent studies on postnatal nutrition. This was during the design process to make the utility relevant to the region.

Yash Deb, executive creative director of Ogilvy Africa, says, "While staying true to the traditional beauty of a lesso, we turned the postnatal nutritional textbook into a desirable and functional garment that will hopefully continue teaching for generations to come."

As the first 24 months are the most pivotal in a child's nutrition and development, the team created three different Lesso Lessons; each one tackling one of three key development periods. The three development periods are as follows:
  • birth to six months
  • six to 12 months, and
  • 12 to 24 months.
The World Food Programme has identified malnutrition as the number one cause of death in children under five years of age. In Kenya, over 26% of children under five years of age (one in four children) face malnutrition issues, resulting in long-term developmental problems, as well as stunted physical growth and immunity problems.

This has been attributed to young mothers not knowing proper breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices.

According to the initiative, East and sub-Saharan Africa have made impressive health and safety strides in recent years; however, there are still basic and systemic issues that public service announcements via traditional media simply cannot address.

Roto Tanks has teamed up with Ogilvy Africa to help distribute a specially designed lesso that offers young mothers nutritional information and guidance that could have a lasting impact on the health and development of their children.

Heril Bangera, president of Roto Tanks, says, "More and more, we're starting to see how the adage of 'it takes a village to raise a child' is becoming more and more poignant. This initiative shows that a simple effort from a wide group could have an effect for many generations to come."

Through the Lesso Lessons project, the two organisations aim to distribute over one million lessos in parts of the following regions:
  • Central
  • Eastern
  • North Eastern
  • Rift Valley
  • Coast
  • Western
  • Nyanza and
  • Nairobi.
Vikas Mehta, CEO of Ogilvy Africa, says, "Lesso Lessons uses tradition as a means to bring about positive change. It's an attempt to weave nutritional guidance into a lesso, which is already woven into the cultural fabric of our societies in Africa."

"We are delighted to partner with Roto in bringing this to life in Kenya, and hope to see this initiative benefit more countries in the future," Mehta concludes.

For more information, visit www.ogilvyafrica.com. You can also follow Ogilvy Africa on Facebook or on Twitter.