Undernutrition Project in Vietnam

Continue on the previous step, Dr. Jimba is explaining the American NGO team with the undernutrition project. He first compares with the common and uncommon practices. As you can see in the chart. The team conducted their intervention later. The result is a huge success.

He first reveals why the positive deviants were able to remain well-nourished despite the same living conditions. Unorthodox food and hygiene practices were found to be the difference makers, even though the positive deviants themselves were unaware of it. The NGO then trained parents to mimic what the positive deviants did without much focus on the knowledge behind it. Since the methods were simple and had low to no cost, it was easy to scale up and very sustainable. Moreover, allowing parents to evaluate the success themselves, motivated them to continue these practices.

Compare the positive deviant approach and other asset-based approaches. What are its strengths? Despite its effectiveness, it can be difficult to identify positive deviants. Besides this, what are some other challenges one might face when employing this approach? If you would like to share your thoughts please leave a comment in the comments section.