Community-Based Nutritional Health in Southern Mali – I

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include : (1) significantly reduced malnutrition in children aged 6 to 59 month in the regions of Kayes, Koulikoro, Segou, Sikasso and the district of Bamako; and (2) reduced malnutrition in pregnant and nursing women in the regions of Kayes, Koulikoro, Segou, Sikasso and the district of Bamako.

Results achieved at the end of the project include: (1) the rate of moderate acute malnutrition among children aged 6 to 59 months fell from 10.1% in 2011 to 7.5% in 2016 in Kayes and from 12% in 2011 to 11% in 2016 in Ségou; (2) 3,988 members of women’s groups were trained out of an expected 3,055, for an 130% success rate. This training has made it possible to increase the number of children screened and, where malnourished, referred to health centres for better care; (3) 1,312 village assemblies were held out of a planned 1,113, for a 117% success rate. The village assemblies were able to help communities better understand nutrition issues; (4) 9,595 communications campaigns and educational talks were conducted out of a planned 10,144, for a 95% success rate. Communications made it possible to observe changes of behaviour among women and their children with respect to their own feeding, hygiene and attendance at health centres; (5) 2,165 nutritional demonstration sessions were conducted out of a planned 2,414, for a 90% success rate; and (6) the service attendance rate for the monitoring of healthy children rose from 3% from the start of the project to 70% at the end of the project, greatly exceeding the 15% target thanks to the offer of a full bundle of services and the implementation of a continuum of care from pregnancy to birth and child monitoring to the age of two years. 167,120 children suffering from moderate acute malnutrition were treated in 2015, compared with 149,294 in 2014.