Topic: Multisectoral collaboration

Community health programmes are neither cheap nor easy to implement well, but they remain a good and wise investment that can yield important dividends. The latest evidence shows that for every dollar invested in community health there is a 10 dollar return of good health and productivity (Dahn B 2015). Current pressures on health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the difficulties in responding adequately, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic, have overwhelmingly shown the critical importance of the community health system. The second Institutionalizing Community Health Conference (ICHC) that took place between 19-22 April 2021, brought us up-to-date with the gains that have been made in community health systems, the investments currently in place, the gaps that still exist and the investment priorities for low resource and hard-to-reach settings.

In this podcast, accompanying the second special issue of Nutrition Exchange South Asia, Dr Charulatha Banerjee talks to Dr Sahib Jan Badar, Programme Coordinator of the Accelerated Action Plan, Department of Health, Government of Sindh province, Pakistan.

They discuss the article Combining WASH and nutrition activities within a multisectoral package to improve young children’s diets and reduce child stunting in Sindh province, Pakistan.

This video examines the implementation of the The Philippine Plan of Action (PPAN) 2017- 2022 which is a blueprint for an integrated programme of nutrition interventions under the leadership of the National Nutrition Council (NNC). It consists of 12 programs and 46 projects serving as a framework for actions that could be undertaken by member agencies.

Download the full case study in PDF here.

This is a recording of a webinar ENN’s SUN KM Team hosted in March unpacking the key findings from the 8 country case studies examining multisectoral programming at the sub- national level.

To read the case studies, click here.

This video examines multisectoral nutrition efforts in Zimbabwe through an exploration of the Multi-Sectoral Community Based Model (MCBM) Programme, launched in 2015, which aims ‘to reduce food and nutrition security challenges in vulnerable districts of Zimbabwe through a multi-sectoral community based model approach and systems strengthening’. We explored work happening in the Chipinge and Chiredzi districts to advance their nutrition agenda.

Since 2017, ENN has undertaken 8 country case studies to explore what multi-sector nutrition programming looks like at a local level. We developed rich case studies which can be read here. We noted a number of similarities and key common findings which are explored in this animated video.

We have just visited Ethiopia to understand how the country is succeeding in strengthening the ‘nexus’ between humanitarian and development actions. Both of us have a long history with Ethiopia, starting our careers working at the time of the 1984 famine in Ethiopia and with refugees in Sudan. Since then, we have been privileged to have worked in Ethiopia on numerous occasions, witnessing substantial change and progress. A memorable event was when we co-hosted a 3-day conference in 2011 with the Government of Ethiopia to share learning across many countries on how to scale up CMAM.

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This is a recording of a webinar ENN’s SUN KM Team hosted in June unpacking the key findings from the case studies conducted in Ethiopia, Niger and Bangladesh examining multisectoral programming at the sub- national level.

In this episode Natalie Sessions, Global Knowledge Coordinator is joined by Nazneen Rahman, who currently serves as a Team Leader for the Health unit of CARE Bangladesh and is overseeing the Collective Impact for Nutrition initiative.
 

They discuss the FEX article A multi-sector approach to improve nutrition: Experiences of the Nutrition at the Center project, Bangladesh and expand on what works and what doesn't work with multisectoral programming. 

Every year SUN Movement member countries are encouraged to engage in a Joint Assessment (JA) exercise to assess their country’s progress against four processes in pursuit of the strategic objectives specified in the SUN Movement Strategy and Roadmap (2016-2020).

Having joined the SUN Movement in 2011, Burkina Faso was one of the early risers of the movement and held it's first Joint Assessment in 2015. Our Regional Knowledge Manager for the West Africa region, Ambarka Youssoufane, joined Burkina Faso in June 2017 for their 3rd joint assessment to speak with some of the participants. This three part video includes some of the highlights from those conversations. 

Le 15 novembre dernier, le gouvernement nigérien a fait un grand pas en avant dans la lutte contre la malnutrition en adoptant sa toute première politique nationale de nutrition dite « politique nationale multisectorielle de sécurité nutritionnelle ». Cette politique a pour objectif d’éliminer toutes les formes de malnutrition pour atteindre la vision où chaque nigérien jouit d’un statut nutritionnel adéquat pour assurer le développement, la résilience et la prospérité du Niger. Cette vision pose la nutrition comme un outil de développement et de résilience et pas seulement comme une stratégie d’urgence. Elle définit les rôles et les responsabilités de toutes les parties prenantes (tels que les donateurs, les partenaires techniques, les organisations non gouvernementales, la société civile et le secteur privé, etc.) dans l'amélioration de la sécurité nutritionnelle du pays, soulignant ainsi l'importance de la participation de tous les acteurs dans la réduction de la malnutrition.

On the 15 November this year, the Niger government took a big step forward in tackling malnutrition by adopting its first ever nutrition policy known as the “national multisectoral nutrition security policy”. The policy aims to achieve the vision of the citizens having adequate nutritional security, in order to ensure the development, resilience and prosperity of the country as a whole. Notably, the policy aims to make nutrition programmes part of development and resilience work in the country, rather than simply being seen as emergency focused interventions. Furthermore, the policy sets out roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders (such as donors, technical assistance providers, non- governmental institutions, civil society and the private sector) in relation to improving nutrition security in the country, thus emphasizing the importance of everyone playing a role in reducing malnutrition.  

Join ENN's Ambarka Youssoufane to find out how one multi-sector programme is being implemented at the sub-national level in Senegal.

This video looks at the Matam region with the USAID-funded Yaajeende Project, and accompanies a full report on Multi-sector programmes at the sub-national level.

I participated in a Round Table organised by South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative SAFANSI In Colombo in June which was titled “Putting the Lens on the Consumer in Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems in South Asia”.

Before I share highlights from the 2-day event, here is some background on SAFANSI -

The Compendium of Actions for Nutrition (CAN) is a facilitation resource to help foster multi-sectoral action at the country level, particularly on nutrition-related policy formulation and planning. It includes matrices of multi-sectoral nutrition actions (nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive), which are classified by the type of evidence available for them. Developed by the UN Network Secretariat, in consultation, with both external experts and those in UN agencies, the CAN was published in late 2016 and has since been used by a range of actors at the country level. This podcast delves into the Haiti experience.

Join ENN's Lillian Karanja Odhiambo to see and hear how one multi-sector programmes is being implemented at the sub-national level in Kenya. This video focuses on implementation challenges and lessons from the USAID-funded Accelerated Value Chain Development Programme (AVCD) in Homa Bay and how current government led activities and structures enable and interact with this multi-sectoral programme.

ENN’s Azaria Morgan joins Dr. Fatima AK Sallam, a Project Manager at Soul for Development and Charity Zvandaziva, a Nutrition Specialist working for UNICEF Yemen to discuss community engagement and leadership in enabling increased access to nutrition and health services. The podcast highlights the work of the Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) in pioneering the project and supporting the Village Development Committees in achieving self-sufficiency.

In this video, we hear from Belal Uddin a member of the SUN Civil Society Alliance (CSA) in Bangladesh.

Belal discusses the importance of civil society working in partnerships with other stakeholder groups such as the media and parliamentarians. In particular, he talks about the CSAs work to support capacity building for journalists in reporting on nutrition issues. He also reflects on the challenges the CSA has faced due to changes in internal governmental structures.

May Thukha Soe is a Nutrition Specialist for Plan International and a member of the SUN CSA Myanmar.

In this video she talks about the role of the CSA in bringing together not only international NGOs but also an increasing number of local NGOs. The aim of the CSA is to provide a collective voice to all for all these organisations. She reflects on how the CSA is building sub-national CSAs in order to engage and support local CSOs.

Hou Kroeun is the Deputy Country Director at Helen Keller International in Cambodia. He is also the coordinator of the SUN Civil Society Alliance in Cambodia.

In this interview, he highlights the crucial role that civil society plays in the SUN Movement. He also discusses how the CSA in Cambodia was formed, and reflects on some of the challenges faced and how these have been overcome. Kroeun discusses the impact that the CSA has had by providing advisory services, technical assistance and guidance to the government on their Mid-Term review of food security and nutrition.

Dr Naseer Muhammad Nizamani is the Country Director for Nutrition International in Pakistan and is also a member of the Pakistan SUN Civil Society Alliance.

In this interview, Dr Nizamani talks about the formation of the CSA in Pakistan and their strong focus on building the capacity of local and national organisations. Dr Nizamani highlights some of the challenges the alliance has faced and how they have overcome them.

In this video, Dr. Uma Koirala describes the role of the SUN Civil Society Alliance in Nepal. She emphasises the need for civil society to advocate for nutrition at all levels; from the national, policy making level through to the district levels.

Uma talks about the importance of regional coordination and how it is enabling CSAs in Asia to share learning, experiences, challenges and best practices amongst regional counterparts. She also highlights the contribution that the CSA in Nepal is making to this group, drawing on their success in building the alliance in Nepal.

The Integrating Gender and Nutrition within Agricultural Extension Services (INGENAES) is a USAID funded project that promotes dietary diversity through harmonising nutrition messages in agriculture. In this interview, Lillian Karanja, ENN’s East Africa’s Regional KM specialist speaks with Edye Kuyper who provides nutrition leadership within the INGENAES project, and Bertha Munthali, Nutrition Advisor for the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network. 

In this interview Dr Charulatha Banerjee (Asia Regional Knowledge Management Specialist) speaks to Cecilia Garzon (Head of Nutrition) and Dr Aliahmad Khan (Nutritionist) in the WFP Pakistan Country Office in Islamabad. They discuss details of the Food & Nutrition Gap (FNG) Analysis and Cost of Diet Tool which were recently used to assess the nutitional situation in Pakistan.

Additionally, James Kingori, Regional Nutrition Officer in the WFP Regional Bureau (Bangkok) speaks in detail about the methodology and presents key lessons from Laos and Indonesia which also have done the FNG analysis. These conversations supplement an article which features in NEX 8 titled 'Filling the Nutrient Gap in Pakistan: Insights to address malnutrition'.

Dr Charulatha Banerjee, ENN’s Asia Regional Knowledge Management Specialist caught up with Sonali Patnaik, Director of Arupa Mission Research Foundation, to learn more about the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) law in India including how this has the potential to impact on nutrition programming and spending in the country. 

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At the beginning of this year, I attended a Nutrition International (NI) mission in the village of Amadou Bellinaoude-Santhiago, in the Kolda region to visit the Integrated Nutrition Project at Kédougou and Kolda (PINKK) implemented by NI.

Join Gladys Mugambi the head of Kenya’s Nutrition and Dietetics Unit in the Ministry of Health (and National SUN Focal Point) as she dicusses the nutrition sector’s past successes, current challenges and future perspectives in the country.

Gladys talks of the evolution of nutrition policy and programming in Kenya including what opportunities the SUN Movement has brought through work with in-country networks and sharing learning with other SUN countries in the region. She decribes the work currently going on in Kenya around financial tracking and the nutrition budget line, school feeding and working with devolved counties on nutrition.

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En début de cette année, j’ai accompagné une mission de Nutrition International (NI) dans le village de Amadou Bellinaoude-Santhiago, région de Kolda pour visiter le Projet Intégré de Nutrition à Kolda et Kédougou (PINKK) mis en œuvre par Nutrition International.

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Dr Charulatha Banerjee, ENN’s Asia Regional Knowledge Management Specialist caught up with Mr Stanley Chitekwe Chief of Nutrition UNICEF Nepal and discussed the details of Multi-Sector Nutrition Programming (MSNP) in Nepal. This conversation supplements an article which features in FEX 54 titled 'A journey to multi-sector nutrition programing in Nepal: evolution, processes and way forward.'

Maria Rosa Boggio is a consultant in child nutrition based in Peru. Maria Rosa worked closely with the Roundtable on Poverty Reduction in country. In this video, Maria Rosa discusses the significant progress that has been made towards reducing malnutrition in Peru.

This video features as the final instalment in a three-part podcast and video series exploring the different stages of the Common Results Framework. Maria Rosa discusses the evaluation and strengthening of a CRF.

Savita Malla is an Advocacy and Communication Specialist based within the National Nutrition and Food Security Secretariat (NNFSS) in Kathmandu, Nepal. In this video Savita discusses the national nutrition plan implementation and roll out in Nepal.

This video features as the second instalment in a three-part podcast and video series exploring the different stages of the Common Results Framework. 

Dr Nassirou Ousmane is the Director of Nutrition at the Ministry of Health and the SUN Focal Point for Niger. In this video, Dr Ousmane discusses the progress made towards elaborating and costing the Nigerien national plan for nutrition.

This video features as the first instalment in a three-part podcast and video series exploring the different stages of the Common Results Framework. Dr. Ousmane discusses the planning and development stage of a CRF.

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How relevant are Africa’s political blocs in advancing the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement agenda? Can the movement tap into the initiatives by the region’s political blocs to achieve its goals?

In my experience with the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement activities, I have noted the quest to establish multi-sectoral platforms to tackle malnutrition worldwide.  Thus, nutrition experts and nutrition advocates have embraced the multi-stakeholder approach to drive forward their agenda – bringing together governments, donors, UN agencies, civil societies, business/private sector, research and academic, to play their roles in this noble goal.

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Je suis Ambarka Youssoufane, en tant que Spécialiste Régional Gestion de connaissance pour l’Afrique de l’ouest et du Centre de ENN, il m’arrive souvent de visiter les pays de la sous-région et discuter avec différents acteurs de la nutrition et du Mouvement SUN. C’est dans ce cadre que j’ai visité le Tchad du 23 au 28 janvier dernier, où j’ai pu constater une forte dynamique autour du point focal SUN pays dans le cadre de la plateforme multi-acteurs pour une coordination multisectorielle des actions de nutrition dans ce pays. C’est de cette plateforme que je voudrais vous entretenir aujourd’hui.