Integrated Nutrition and Health Initiative for Mokmai (INHIM) project

ADRA Laos’ new “Integrated Nutrition and Health Initiative for Mokmai” (INHIM) project will be implemented in Mok Mai district, one of the least developed districts in Xiengkhouang Province, located 400 km north-east of the capital Vientiane. Among all seven districts of Xiengkhouang Province, Mok Mai is one of the least developed, as revealed by several health indicators, with underweight of 29.8% and stunting of 49.1% among CU5. The mortality rate of CU1 is 43.7% and the mortality rate of CU5 is at 58.6%.  How these district findings stand in relationship to current nation-wide and Xiengkhouang Province health indicators (from 2017) is further pointed out below.

From the Mok Mai district with its 28 villages and a rural population of 25,200 people in 2,666 ethnic households, ADRA Laos’ ‘Integrated Nutrition and Health Initiative for Mokmai’ (INHIM) project will address the basic, direct, and indirect root causes of acute and chronic malnutrition. In the households of 20 target villages, malnutrition will be addressed in nutrition strategic and nutrition sensitive ways, for approximately 9,500 project participants. Early marriage and teenage pregnancy are a high-risk factor for poor maternal and child health and socio-economic outcomes in Mokmai, thus will be addressed by nutrition-sensitive, gender and reproductive health components of the project. 

In Mokmai district, 42% of the selected villages  are identified as poor households with high seasonal food scarcity. With the multi-sectoral nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive rehabilitation activities, interpersonal communication, and counseling (SBCC), gender inclusion, and participatory community-led PD Hearth and CLTS approaches at its core, children under the age of 5, Women in Reproductive Age (WRA – age 15-49) and adolescents will be targeted. 

The INHIM project will introduce clean and sustainable agriculture practices, to increase food diversity, access, and availability. Environmentally friendly and climate smart techniques will be used for vegetable and small livestock production. Smart irrigation, soil improvement, climate resilient seeds, and integrated pest management will be taught to vulnerable households, to improve climate resilient food production.