Name of the project: “USAID’s Strengthening Multisectoral Nutrition Programming through Implementation Science Activity”

 

Programme Area: Nutrition

 

Duration: July 2018 to May 2022

 

Funded by: USAID

 

Managed by: FHI360

 

Other partners are CARE Bangladesh, Social Marketing Company, Agro-Input Retailers Network and LifeChord Limited.

 

Implementation area: 70 selected unions of 22 selected Upazilas in 6 districts of Bangladesh. The districts are; Jashore,  Kushtia, Pirojpur, Jhinaidah, Chuadanga, and Barishal

 

Target audience: Direct focus on 10,000 pregnant and lactating women, and children under the age of two primarily from poor and extreme-poor

Goal: The Project Goal is “Nutrition policy making and implementation in Bangladesh is informed by high quality local evidence”.

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“USAID’s Strengthening Multisectoral Nutrition Programming through Implementation Science Activity” is a research-based project implementing through consortium approaches by 5 consortium members led by FHI360 where PHD is playing key role in field implementation. This project will contribute to the USAID Bangladesh Country Development Cooperation Strategy Development Objective, Health Status Improved. The Project is applying a mixed methods research approach to assess the effectiveness of different multisectoral nutrition intervention packages delivered through a coordinated approach by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), NGOs, and the private sector on improving nutrition outcomes known to contribute to overall healthy nutritional status of children under two in Bangladesh.

The project has 4 major interventions, namely

  1. Social and Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) for all the Households (HH) having Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW)
  2. Homestead Food Production (HFP) for all poor and extreme poor PLWs in HFP study area
  3. Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) for PLWs in extreme poor HHs
  4. Multisectoral Referral (MF) for all PLW HHs

The expected outputs of the project are:

  • Increased availability of evidence to guide multi-sectoral nutrition programming implementation
  • Improved capacity to use evidence to inform policy and programmatic decision-making Among six intervention districts

The MSNP is applying a mixed methods research approach to test and refine multisectoral nutrition approaches, interventions and service delivery mechanisms in high stunting areas of Bangladesh. PHD, as the field implementer is implementing project interventions  in various combinations of multisectoral packages under different components like- Social and behavior change communication (SBCC), Homestead food production (HFP), Conditional cash transfers (CCT), Multisectoral platforms at the subnational level, Utilization of health and other services in this project and Gender-transformative as cross-cutting interventions, which focus on strengthening multisectoral platforms at national and sub-national levels to ensure evidence is utilized for nutrition policy and programming, such as;

  • Through SBCC, project is creating opportunity of combining digital SBCC methods with manual SBCC interventions to target the 1000-day window of opportunity through BCC, Advocacy and community mobilization activities. Project is reaching each beneficiary with age specific (age of pregnancy or child) customized digital message each week and at the same time reaching physically through 1473 Mothers Group per month.
  • In HFP study area project is blending two modalities of delivery mechanism involving Community Farmers and Private retailers separately to improve year-round availability and intake of nutritious foods through providing both input and technical support.
  • Providing CCT to targeted women to make them empowered, accessible to improved nutrition care and services as well as protected from situations that could negatively impact nutrition outcomes 
  • In order to bring sustainable change outcomes, project is establishing referral linkages through strengthening union level Multisectoral Platforms (Community Clinics, Union Health & Family Welfare Centers and Union Development Coordination Committees at 70 Unions) for ensuring health and nutrition services.