Brief Description of the Project:
Suaahara II was an integrated program dedicated to improving the health and nutrition status of women and children who fall within the 1,000 days period, from conception until a child reaches 24 months of age. This period is recognized as the crucial timeframe during which nutritional interventions have optimal impact on child growth and development. In particular, the project had addressed anemia, reproductive health, menstrual hygiene, food diversity, social attitudes towards delayed marriage and pregnancy, and health service utilization. |
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Major outcomes achieved/ Implementation Success:
- Community Mapping Census (CMC): The Suaahara Program has completed the Community Mapping Census (CMC) in Rolpa District, entering data on 45,724 households into the CommCare Mobile Application. New pregnant women are continually added to the system. The primary objective of the CMC was to identify new mothers within the critical 1,000-day window and adolescent girls, promoting their engagement in ANC/PNC visits, PHC/ORC clinics, HMG meetings, and home visits.
- MIYCN Training for FCHVs: Two days of Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) training were provided to Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs), enhancing their knowledge and capacity for MIYCN assessment and counseling. Total 380 FCHV participated and benefited from this event in Rolpa.
- Nutritious Food Demonstrations: Community members are adopting skills for preparing nutritious food recipes to improve their children's dietary habits through food demonstration events. Total 24492 People from mother group, 1000 days mother and their households and FCHVs involved and benefited from this food demonstration from 1121 event in Rolpa.
- Key life Event: Key life event organized at the occasion of Pashni and antenatal/postnatal period with the active involvement FCHV and member of HMGs. In the household of eligible 1000-day mother, key life event was celebrated with counseling on Integrated nutrition message (child & mother’s care, breast feeding, complimentary feeding, maternal nutrition, birth spacing). Total 48968 people involved and benefited from 5284 events.
- Increased Health Service Utilization: Health service utilization among 1,000-day households has increased due to consistent counseling on integrated nutrition messages, encompassing child and maternal care, breastfeeding, complementary feeding, maternal nutrition, and birth spacing. Counseling is delivered through home visits, phone calls, HMG meetings, and key life events. To enhance service delivery, technical support and on-site coaching/mentoring are provided to health facilities on CB-IMNCI, NACS, FP, PHC-ORC management and SATH techniques for Health Mother Groups, and the Community Health Score Board (CHSB) tool also implemented.
- Nutrition Gardens: Community members have begun establishing nutrition gardens at their households, enabling families to consistently produce nutrient-dense vegetables for mothers and children during the critical 1,000-day period, thereby enhancing their dietary intake. Key activities include homestead food production training and orientation, distribution of nutrient-rich vegetable seeds and production input kits, eight-week brooded chickens and chicken coop assembly materials. Additionally, support also was given to establish brooding centers for Local Resource Persons (LRPs), and orientation on resilient food systems and livelihoods was conducted, including demonstrations of climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies.
- Nutrition Sustainability Workshop and NFSSC meeting: Nutrition Sustainability Workshop and Nutrition Food Security Streeting Committee meeting At the Municipality/ Rural Municipality level were conducted to identify gaps in nutrition planning and activities. Various thematic departments (Agriculture, Livestock, Women and Children, Education, Health, and WASH) presented the current nutrition scenario, progress, issues, and challenges faced by the M/RM. The meeting and workshop both resulted to accelerated rollout of Multisector Nutrition Plan through strengthened local governance and their commitment to declare the municipality as a Nutrition-Friendly Local Government.
- Support to establishment of Outpatient Therapeutic Centers (OTCs): Outpatient Therapeutic Centers (OTCs) have been established in all municipalities in Rolpa for the treatment of severely malnourished children. For the establishment of OTCs, technical as well as financial support was provided to conduct Comprehensive Nutrition Sensitive Intervention (CNSI) training for Health Workers and FCHVs.
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