Project profile — Supporting the to Integrated Fight Against Chronic Malnutrition in Mali

• Mali (100.00%)

• Basic Health: Basic nutrition (12240) (30.00%)
• Population Policies/Programmes And Reproductive Health: Population policy and administrative management (13010) (18.00%)
• Basic drinking water supply:
Basic drinking water supply (14031) (14.00%)
Basic sanitation (14032) (15.00%)
• Government And Civil Society, General: Women's rights organisations and movements, and government institutions (15170) (5.00%)
• Agriculture: Food crop production (31161) (18.00%)

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

This project aims to improve the nutritional status of children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women in the Kayes and Sikasso regions. The project addresses 3 major causes of chronic malnutrition: access to adequate care, healthy environment and appropriate nutrition. Project activities include: (1) developing and implementing behavioural change strategies with communities to promote access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and adolescent girls; (2) training approximately 150 health workers (including 66% of women) in sexual and reproductive health, family planning, early childhood feeding and nutrition, and respect for the rights of women and adolescent girls; (3) rehabilitating or building approximately 40 water points and 60 family or school latrines, taking into account the specific needs of women and girls; and (4) providing women's groups with inputs and equipment for processing, storing and marketing high nutritional value products. The project aims to benefit an estimated 728,000 people, including 52.7 % women and adolescent girls and 46.9 % children under 5 years of age, and indirectly benefit the entire population of the 4 target districts, i.e. more than 2,088,000 people.

The expected outcomes for this project include : (1) increased utilization of primary health and sexual and reproductive health services by women and adolescent girls, including for their children, in the health districts of Bafoulabé, Kayes, Kita and Sikasso; (2) sustained adoption of adequate hygiene, sanitation and nutrition practices, particularly for women and girls in the targeted health districts; (3) increased autonomy, decision-making power and economic resilience of women producers, processors and traders of high nutritional value agricultural products in the targeted health districts.

Results achieved as of March 2024 include: (1) sensitized 210,860 people, including 195,099 women and 15,761 adolescent girls, who gained access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. This is a result of behavioral change strategies implemented in communities; (2) rehabilitated or built 19 water points, 222 family latrines and 28 school latrines, taking into account the specific needs of women and girls; (3) supported 19,248 people, including 11,023 women, to take part in climate change adaptation activities, including the installation of 2 bio-coal production units in the health districts of Kayes and Bafoulabé. Also trained households (2,000 beneficiaries) in waste sorting and conditioning, and domestic compost production and use in gardens; (4) supported 264,444 people (56% women) to benefited from specific nutrition interventions for pregnant, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding women. Also provided services as part of mass malnutrition screening days to 12,857 people; and (5) strengthened management skills of 3,579 individuals in village savings and credit associations (VSCAs) to consolidate their economic power. Also provided agricultural inputs and equipment for processing, storing and marketing highly nutritious products, such as enriched egg porridge to 1,624 women.

• Proactive disclosure
• Related activities: Supporting the Integrated Fight Against Chronic Malnutrition in Mali - Response to COVID-19