Second Community Nutrition Project

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The Second Community Nutrition Project for Madagascar improves the nutritional status of children under three, primary school children, and pregnant and lactating women. It also aims to ensure long-term sustainablity of nutrition outcomes by improving the quality and quantity of food intake by children at home. Specifically, the project aims to reduce underweight, vitamin A deficiency, iron deficiency anemia, and helminth infections; and to increase communities' awareness and improve their capacity to address the determinants of malnutrition. There are four project components. The first comprises a community nutrition program which monitors growth and promotion; provides food and Vitamin A for malnourished children and pregnant or lactating women; rehabilitates severely malnourished children; provides information, education and communication (IEC) to mobilizes the community; supports community-based activities in villages; and trains community and social workers. The second, the school nutrition program, provides iron supplements, deworms children, promotes IEC as well as nutrition and hygiene, monitors iodized salt intake, supports school-based activities, and trains primary school teachers. The third component comprises intersectoral activities in health and agriculture, specifically pilot projects that disseminate technical guidelines for agricultural diversification and product storage. The fourth component consists of project management.