Intermediate Results

The project promotes access to nutritious and productive varieties of vegetables, fruits, legumes, bio-fortified crops and small livestock. Support areas include better use of inputs and cultivation practices, increased market availability of diverse foods, and addressing concerns around food safety and post-harvest losses. The project will scale up livelihoods and economic strengthening activities for most vulnerable households. Production and livelihood activities are implemented through GoE systems and link with SBCC activities to increase the demand for consumption of diverse, safe and quality foods. 

The project aims to promote the adoption of nutrition, agriculture and WASH behaviors and practices that lead to optimal maternal, infant and young child nutrition during the critical first 1,000 days. Multiple channels are used to reach households, from mass media and enhanced community conversations to counseling at service delivery points and individual households.

It is essential that women and children have access to and utilize evidence-based nutrition-specific interventions and health services to prevent and treat infectious diseases. Key facility-level nutrition interventions include vitamin A supplementation, deworming, iron and folic acid (IFA) for pregnant women, zinc and oral rehydration therapy (ORT) for diarrhea, MIYCN and WASH, management of acute malnutrition, and nutrition management of infectious disease. Growth through Nutrition supports quality improvement mechanisms at health facilities and builds the capacity of community level and health facility personnel to deliver quality nutrition counseling and services. 

Access to adequate quantities of safe drinking water and utilization of improved sanitation facilities are essential to the overall health and nutrition of children. Growth through Nutrition will complement demand generated by SBCC (IR2) for WASH practices with activities that improve access to WASH products and services needed to achieve desired hygiene behavior changes. The project will provide access to safe water through the construction and rehabilitation of water points and will improve access to improved sanitation through a partial-franchise model of private businesses selling latrine slabs and other products.  

The goal is to improve the effectiveness of Nutrition and WASH programs by strengthening multi-sectoral coordination and building the institutional capacity of key sectors to implement the National Nutrition Programme (NNP) and ONE WASH National Programme (OWNP). The project also aims to build the capacity of higher learning educational institutions to train and prepare health, nutrition, agriculture and WASH workers.