The Mainstreaming Nutrition Initiative is a World Bank funded project to catalyze the integration of priority nutrition actions into health sector policies and programs worldwide.
It is a collaborative effort among the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), the Program in International Nutrition at Cornell University, the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the University of South Carolina, and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
In the first year of the project, we have reviewed the evidence for integrating nutrition interventions within various maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) policies and programs. This led to the development of a framework, tools and strategies to facilitate the mainstreaming process in different countries and different policy and program contexts. A draft framework will be posted soon. Other project activities in Year 1 included a global review of nutrition interventions led by ICDDR,B and Aga Khan University, which has contributed to the Lancet series on nutrition. A series of reviews on critical issues confronted by nutrition programs were completed in early 2007 and peer reviewed. The reviews address such questions as: what are the barriers to accessing health and nutrition services, current issues in growth monitoring and promotion, challenges to scaling up exclusive breast feeding promotion programs, and targeting of supplementary feeding. Summaries were presented at SCN 2007 and SCN 2008.
Current Activities (2008-2009)
The MNI draft framework and approach for integrating health and nutrition actions were developed in 2006, and have been tested intensively in Pakistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Peru, Uganda, and Ethiopia. In each of these countries, key MNI staff have worked closely with country focal persons to examine different issues pertaining to the mainstreaming of nutrition.
Pakistan: Scaling up evidence-based nutrition interventions to address maternal and child health outcomes in Pakistan: a district-based demonstration project
In consultation with the National Program for Family Planning and Primary Health Care, Aga Khan University will be initiating a program to deliver enhanced packages of nutrition interventions. Geographical areas will be selected on the basis of availability/functionality of working Lady Health Workers (LHW), available HMIS information and catchments population of LHWs in Naushero Feroz and Matiari, the two rural districts of Sindh.
Vietnam: Strengthening the integration of nutrition-related actions into provincial planning processes in Viet Nam
Building on last year’s successes, MNI will continue working with Save the Children Viet Nam and the National Institute of Nutrition to build capacity for the development of nutrition plans within the decentralized provincial planning process. A workshop with key national stakeholders was held on March 30, 2007. The MNI will fund key activities in Quang Tri province (one of the poorest, rural provinces in Vietnam and a phase-one focus province for the Dutch funded Nutrition Capacity Building grant managed by NIN) to support the inclusion of nutrition into the province’s master health plan.
Bangladesh: Mainstreaming Nutrition in BRAC Maternal and Neonatal Child Health Program
MNI is working with BRAC to identify the most effective and appropriate strategies for delivering interventions related to nutritional care during pregnancy and infant and young child feeding practices through BRAC's new Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) program. A workshop was held on March 27-28, 2007.
Bolivia: Supporting the President’s Zero Malnutrition Initiative by developing mechanisms for decentralized program planning, monitoring and evaluation
MNI will be working with the President's Zero Malnutrition team to provide technical support to the roll-out of this initiative. Intensive work will be conducted in one municipality to identify implementation problems, develop and test solutions, and to develop locally relevant monitoring and evaluation indicators and processes that can be replicated in all municipalities.
Peru: Work involving the Peru Nutrition Results Project
MNI will be working with the Peru Nutrition Results Project (PNRP), which aims to reduce malnutrition by five percentage points over 5 years. MNI will be providing technical support to a systems dynamics modeling process that is intended to bring together stakeholders to analyze the causes of poor nutrition in Peru, and to identify national and regional solutions to reduce stunting and achieve the goals of the PNRP. The MNI will also support the production of a video intended to raise stakeholder expectations and put pressure on primary health and nutrition-related service providers to track and improve nutrition outcomes in the populations they serve.
Uganda: Scaling Up Zinc in the Treatment of Childhood Diarrhea
MNI will be working with A2Z (AED) and the MOH Uganda on scaling up zinc in the treatment of childhood diarrhea. Collaborations will start with a “twining exercise” during the Micronutrient Forum Meeting in April 2007 leading to a work plan for best strategies and approaches.
Ethiopia: Evaluation of integration of the Essential Nutrition Actions Approach
MNI will be initiating an evaluation of program integration of the Essential Nutrition Actions approach in collaboration with the Academy for Educational Development, Helen Keller International, and Essential Services for Health Ethiopia. In addition, a workshop of country stakeholders will be hosted by the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute.
In these and other countries, MNI will support regional workshops to discuss the MNI framework. These workshops will also serve as a forum for countries to identify opportunities for mainstreaming nutrition in their countries, and to develop strategies for mainstreaming that are relevant for their contexts.
If you would like to partner with this initiative, or learn more, please see our contact information.
