Strengthening Partnerships, Results, and Innovations in Nutrition Globally – Bangladesh (SPRING-Bangladesh)

SPRING/Bangladesh conducts activities in 40 upazilas, or sub-districts, in the USAID Feed the Future zones of influence of Barisal and Khulna divisions. We train health and agricultural workers from within the GOB and from nongovernmental organizations to counsel 1,000 days households (households with pregnant and lactating women and children under two years of age). This training develops workers’ confidence and capacity to provide guidance on the essential nutrition actions (ENA) and the essential hygiene actions (EHA) at a variety of contact points, from community clinics to home visits. We also provide state-of-the-art technical support to help prevent stunting and maternal and child anemia in the first 1,000 days. SPRING/Bangladesh has established communitybased farmer nutrition schools (FNS) to promote the production of nutrient-dense vegetables, fruits, and animal source foods at the household level. We incorporate ENA and EHA into modules on vegetable gardening, poultry rearing, and fish production. By emphasizing small “doable” actions, we give FNS participants the knowledge and skills they need to link food production with improved nutrition and hygiene practices, including exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and consumption of a diversified diet. The inconvenient placement of handwashing stations, or, in some cases, the complete lack of handwashing stations, is a substantial hindrance to the uptake of optimal handwashing practices at the household level. In response, SPRING/Bangladesh has introduced household “tippy taps.” A tippy tap is a simple water-saving handwashing device that increases the availability of water for handwashing at significant points around the household. All trainees and FNS members are taught and encouraged to build and use at least two household tippy taps beside toilets and kitchens to improve the adoption of improved hygiene practices. Repeated exposure to pathogens significantly increases a child’s risk of contracting illnesses, such as diarrheal diseases, which can result in stunting and other health complications.