Project profile — Southern African Nutrition Initiative

• Mozambique (33.69%)
• Zambia (33.69%)
• Canada (0.78%)
• Malawi (31.84%)

• Basic Health: Basic nutrition (12240) (66.00%)
• Basic drinking water supply:
Basic drinking water supply (14031) (7.00%)
Basic sanitation (14032) (10.00%)
• Food crop production:
Food crop production (31161) (6.00%)
Agricultural financial services (31193) (6.00%)
• Unallocated/ Unspecified: Promotion of development awareness (99820) (5.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (significant objective)
• Youth Issues (significant objective)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Nutrition (principal objective)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This initiative aims to improve the nutritional status of women of reproductive age (15-49 years) and children under 5 years, while working with local health authorities. Activities include: (1) training health workers to provide education on and identify, monitor and treat malnutrition in mothers, pregnant and breastfeeding women and infants and children under 5 years; (2) delivering campaigns to encourage optimal breastfeeding, establishing household and school gardens to grow a diversity of nutritious foods, and holding cooking demonstrations to encourage use of new and unfamiliar foods; (3) constructing, rehabilitating and maintaining community water sources; and, (4) raising awareness on good water, sanitation and hygiene practices, as well as promoting open dialogue on gender norms and distribution of food, resources and assets within households and across household members. This initiative is expected to contribute directly to the improved health of approximately 190,000 women, children and men directly, and over 1 million individuals indirectly. The initiative is being implemented in Malawi (Dowa and Ntchisi districts), Mozambique (Funahlouro and Homoine districts) and Zambia (Mpika and Shiwa Ng’andu districts). It is implemented through a consortium led by Care Canada, and including McGill University, CUSO International, and the Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development. Project implementation is also supported by the following local partners: in Malawi: Development Aid from People to People; in Mozambique: Associação Para Promoção e Desenvolvimento da Mulher, Associação Juvenil para a Educação e Promoção de Juventude, and REDE Pastoral de Homoine; and in Zambia: the National Food and Nutrition Commission and the CSO SUN Alliance.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved nutrition of mothers, pregnant women, newborns and children under 5 years through consumption of nutritious foods; (2) improved maternal, infant and young child nutrition and gender sensitive agriculture and water, sanitation and hygiene practices of men, women and caregivers; and (3) strengthened governance and accountability of gender-equitable nutrition policies and programs for mothers, pregnant women, newborns and children under 5 years.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (March 2021) include: (1) trained 814 community health workers (of which 426 women) on gender-sensitive maternal, child, and infant nutrition, exceeding the target of 428 community health workers; (2) 8,136 households grow nutritious food in their household gardens, compared to a target of 7,500 households; (3) conducted 4,459 gender-sensitive cooking and feeding demonstrations by Community Health Workers and community groups to raise awareness about preparing and consuming locally available nutritious food; (4) constructed or rehabilitated 71 water points, exceeding the target of 54 water points; (5) established or strengthened 470 farmers’ groups, comprising 10,185 members (of which 6,177 women); and (6) improved the nutrition of women of reproductive age and girls and boys under five years old in the project’s target areas.

• Proactive disclosure