The project aims to improve nutrition, nutrition-related rights, and gender equality for the poorest and most marginalized, especially women, adolescent girls, and children in Bangladesh (Thakugaron district), Kenya (Elgeyo Marakwet County), Somalia (Baidoa district) and Tanzania (Meatu and Maswa districts of Simiyu Region). In all four countries, women, adolescent girls and children represent a disproportionate number impacted by malnutrition due to various biological and socio-cultural factors, including poverty, gender inequality, and community norms. The project will reach 3,878,013 individuals, of which 1,363,380 are direct, and 2,514,633 are indirect. World Vision and its partners will implement integrated, multi-sectoral, evidence-based interventions to address gender inequalities and the key determinants of nutrition and sexual reproductive health in underserved rural areas at the household, community, and health systems levels. World Vision partners with Nutrition International, HarvestPlus and McGill University to provide expertise in nutrition, food systems, health and program evaluation, and a range of local governmental and non-governmental stakeholders who also informed the design of the project. Project activities include: (1) producing locally appropriate bio-fortified staple crops and food value chains scaled up and sustained through gender-equitable and responsive approaches; (2) supporting households, schools and health care facilities to increase gender-equitable access, sustainable, safe drinking water and improved sanitation fa.cilities; (3) equipping health facilities with essential equipment and supplies for gender-equitable and responsive nutrition, health, and sexual and reproductive health and rights services; (4) equipping young women with the ability to promote decision-making, control household resources, and reduce sexual and gender-based violence; (5) facilitating the distribution of ready-to-use therapeutic food, Iron Folic Acid, and de-worming tablets through health facilities and mobile outreach; (6) promoting a comprehensive adolescent-responsive health and nutrition package, including education on anemia prevention for adolescent girls and boys; and (7) equipping key national and sub-national women’s and adolescent girls’ groups with leadership skills, including revenue generation to self-sustain engagement in health advocacy
The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) improved adoption of gender-equitable practices in nutrition, health, and sexual reproductive health and rights at individual, household, and community levels; (2) strengthened delivery of gender-equitable and responsive nutrition, health and sexual reproductive health and rights services for the poorest and the most marginalized women, adolescent girls, and children; and (3) improved effectiveness of local stakeholders in target countries and Canada on gender equitable local and international nutrition-specific and sexual and reproductive health and rights activities, advocacy, and policy dialogue.
Results achieved as of September 2024 include: (1) 599 community-based peer networks were trained and supervised to provide appropriate MNCH and SRH messages and conduct hygiene and food demonstrations; (2) 58,239 women between 15-49 years of age were reached with messages and interactive demonstrations on nutrition; (3) ; (4) 4000 adolescent girls 10-19 years of age and young women (20-25y) participated in gender equality training sessions; (5) 157,752 family planning visits were facilitated; 6) 3797 adolescent boys 10-19 years of age and young men (20-25y) participated in gender equality training sessions 7) 17661 female and male farmers supported to grow biofortified crops after receiving planting materials from RECTS-IN project.
