When graduate students from Baruch's School of Public Affairs invited dignitaries to attend their two-day conference on sharing nutritional information in Africa, they weren't expecting too many RSVPs from perpetually busy diplomats. To their surprise, however, high-ranking envoys from four African nations accepted their invitation to the conference Nutrition in Africa, held at Baruch on Mar. 28–29, giving the students a rare opportunity to present their research to real-life policy leaders.

Visitors at the event included Boniface Chidyausiku, permanent representative of Zimbabwe to the United Nations; Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, permanent representative of Sudan to the UN; Counselor Issa Konfourou of Mali's permanent mission to the UN; and Nwabise Stofile of the South African consulate.

Organized by students in Public Affairs Professor Sarah Ryan's class on nonprofit communications strategies, the conference showcased the students' research on spreading nutrition-related information in several African nations, including Djibouti, Liberia, Kenya, Niger, Madagascar, Namibia, Mozambique, and Sudan.

A New York Times article on the plight of underfed children in several African countries inspired Ryan to ask students in her Communications and Public Settings class to develop communications policies that would disseminate nutritional information in a nation of their choice. The students were asked to delve into local cultures and politics and learn how the task of informing people on reducing malnutrition might vary from country to country.

A woman prepares Mokhat berries, in Darfur, Sudan. Darfur photo © Liba Taylor/CORBIS

While the threat of starvation has typically received more attention from world media and donor agencies, malnourished children who survive often suffer from lifelong debilitating conditions, including stunted growth, lower IQs, and other chronic ailments.

The task of understanding how to publicize critical information about nutrition in African countries also highlighted communications deficiencies closer to home. “The biggest thing that they've learned is how little information they can get about what goes on from day to day in Africa from the media,” said Ryan.

Annie Balocating (MPA '09), a student whose group focused on the southeastern African nation of Mozambique, agreed that information campaigns require more than political backing to truly make an impact. "It's been really eye-opening to find out about Mozambique's approach to the problem of malnutrition," she said. "The country's in a situation where a lot of things are working and the government is committed, but half the population are children and grain is scarce."

The conference has already yielded impressive results, with her students receiving inquiries and encouragement on their research from organizations such as UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders and scholars such as Dr. Arvind Singhal, a renowned expert on communication in developing countries. "I've also gotten firm commitments from six students who want to travel to Africa to gather more information" on the countries they researched, added Ryan. While copies of the students' research is available in electronic format to the general public, she hopes that further research resulting from their visits will result in a book contract.

"I want them to know that if they do good work, they can change the world for the better," said Ryan. "I hope that this book and this conference show them that they can accomplish anything."

—OLAYINKA FADAHUNSI