Strategies
Eight strategies have been identified to achieve the goal and objectives of the Strategy:
i. Accessing quality nutrition services: Nutrition interventions must be delivered at scale and with high coverage if they are to have impact on prevalence of malnutrition at the population level. The focus will be on delivering a package of high-impact nutrition services. District nutrition services will be well managed, of high quality and accessible to all, particularly women and children and other vulnerable groups.
ii. Advocacy and behaviour change communication: Advocacy will to be intensified to raise the visibility and profile of malnutrition at all levels, and increase the commitment and resources for its alleviation. At the household and community level, improved knowledge on caring practices for infants, young children and women of child-bearing age is a necessary component of sustainable efforts to reduce malnutrition.
iii. Legislation for a supportive environment: Legislation, policies and standards are needed to create a supportive environment conducive to good nutrition. They include measures to prevent unethical marketing of breast-milk substitutes, to protect the breastfeeding rights of employed women, to ensure adequate labelling and quality of products intended for consumption by infants and young children, and for the fortification of food.
iv. Mainstreaming nutrition into national and sectoral policies, plans and programs: The multi-sectoral nature of nutrition requires advocacy for its inclusion in national and sector policies and plans. Nutritional indicators have been included in the MKUKUTA but further efforts are needed so that nutrition is firmly part of policies and strategies in the health, agriculture, education, community development and industry sectors.
v. Institutional and technical capacity for nutrition: Nutrition needs to attain the required institutional and technical capacity that is necessary in the decentralization framework. As LGAs are now responsible for implementation of nutrition services, it is essential that there be district level nutrition focal points who are accountable for the delivery of quality nutrition services, and supportive structures at the regional and national level to provide technical backstopping, guidance and supportive supervision. Increasing the numbers and quality of human resources for nutrition at all levels and in all relevant sectors is critical for improving the quality of nutrition services. For health service providers, pre-service and in-service training courses need to keep pace with latest policies, strategies, guidelines and scientific thinking.
vi. Resource mobilization: The budget gap in nutrition needs to be reduced by mobilizing adequate and sustainable financial resources and improving the efficiency in the use of financial resources for nutrition. Despite hard budget constraints, additional budget for nutrition exists, including larger aid from development partners, increased budget allocation from MOHSW, increased efficiency in delivering nutrition interventions and collaboration with other sectors and programs.
vii. Research, monitoring and evaluation: Research, monitoring and evaluation are essential for evidence-based decision making and enhancing public accountability. Monitoring is continuous and aims to provide the management and other stakeholders with early indications of progress in the achievement of goals, objectives and results. Evaluation is a periodic exercise that attempts to systematically and objectively assess progress towards and the achievement of a program’s objectives or goals. Research tests specific interventions and approaches for the betterment of nutritional status, and provides further evidence for policy and programming.
viii. Coordination and partnerships: Because there are multiple causes of malnutrition, action is needed across a range of sectors including health, food and agriculture, water supply and sanitation, education and others. A coordinated response maximizes the use of available technical and financial resources and can create greater synergy of efforts. Public-private partnerships and collaboration with NGOs can increase the opportunities for delivering and scaling up nutrition services.
