For the past three years, the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Infant & Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project has supported the Ministry of Health and the National Food and Nutrition Commission to strengthen policies, programs, and health systems to improve the nutrition—and thereby prolong the lives— of mothers and their children younger than 2 years of age, including those affected by HIV. IYCN has collaborated with a wide range of partners to support mothers in adopting healthy feeding practices and to ensure a better future for Zambian communities and families.
The project focused on strengthening nutrition interventions within prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV programs and child health services and conducting supportive community-based activities. Since 2008, when the project began, health workers and community health volunteers in several districts have developed the skills and knowledge to help mothers improve nutrition for themselves and their babies. Formative research on maternal nutrition and child feeding practices has enabled stakeholders to understand beliefs and behaviors that contribute to poor nutrition. Structures are now in place for assessing the quality and consistency of health worker counseling. Additionally, messages to encourage changes in the way mothers feed their children have been disseminated through mass media.
Nutritional care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS was reported to the Global Nutrition Policy Review (GNPR) 2009-2010IYCN took a comprehensive approach to addressing nutrition assessment, counseling, and support in Zambia by working with stakeholders at the national, district, provincial, and community levels to assess needs, enhance national policies, build the capacity of health providers, implement behavior change communication strategies, strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems, and identify and share good practices. Here is a snapshot of the project’s key activities and accomplishments.
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Date | User | Log | State |
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Tue, 03/11/2014 - 17:27 | engesveenk | Edited by william_nkoom. | published |
Tue, 01/01/2013 - 19:37 | william_nkoom | Edited by william_nkoom. | draft |
Tue, 01/01/2013 - 19:29 | william_nkoom | Edited by william_nkoom. | draft |