Nutrition and Hygiene Project
Sikasso Region is one of the most affected regions by malnutrition in Mali. According to the Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions Survey in 2016, 30.2 percent of children under 5 years of age are stunted. Causes of malnutrition in Sikasso are due to suboptimal nutrition and health behavior, limited access to high nutrient foods, and poor access to health, water and sanitation services.
To support local government of Sikasso in improving nutrition status of the population, particularly women and pregnant women and children less than two years old, USAID/Mali funded Save the Children for five years (October 2013 to September 2018) to implement integrated nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive intervention in six health districts of Sikasso Region. Core investment areas are:
- Increasing the adoption of optimal behaviors to support nutrition, health, and sanitation and hygiene;
- Increasing production and accessibility of nutrient-rich foods;
- Improving the delivery of nutrition services to address acute malnutrition.
Activity Description
The Nutrition and Hygiene project’s strategy is twofold:
- to address multisector causes of malnutrition, the project is implementing integrated intervention through prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition, nutrition sensitive agriculture to diversify food consumption, and access to water and sanitation infrastructure; and
- to make significant and sustainable changes these integrated interventions are supported by social and behavior change intervention structured around advocacy, social and community mobilization, behavior change communication, and sanitation marketing promotion.
Actual Outcomes
- 158 villages certified open defecation free;
- 103,000 people gaining access to an improved sanitation facility;
- 60,000 people gaining access to an improved drinking water source;
- 15,000 households with soap and water at a hand washing station used by family members in USG supported programs;
- 80,000 people trained in child health and nutrition through USG supported programs;
- 560,000 children under five reached by USG-supported nutrition program;
- 300,000 women reached to exclusive breastfeeding education.
