International Development Grant
Increase Gains in Nutrition by Integration Education Evaluation Empowerment
Project Number: CA-3-P011795001
Status: Operational
Country/Region:
Maximum Contribution: $19,040,887.00
Start Date: May 19, 2023
End Date: January 31, 2029
Duration: 5.7 years
Project Description
The project aims to improve nutrition for the poorest and most marginalized in Ghana Malawi and Pakistan especially women adolescent girls and children. In all three 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 expects to deliver targeted integrated nutrition health and water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programming to build sustainable institutional capacity across the continuum of care and improve nutrition within vulnerable communities. The project aims to reach approximately 822 000 direct beneficiaries (65% women) and 12 500 000 indirect beneficiaries (50% women) in health facilities communities and education institutions. Project activities include: (1) delivering gender-responsive antenatal care training (including one specific to adolescent girls) to health professionals and community health workers; (2) providing training on integrated nutrition and hygiene behaviour change communications to health professionals and community health workers; (3) training health professionals about integrated nutrition health WASH interventions; (4) integrating gender-responsive adolescent-friendly nutrition and hygiene behaviour change communications with routine health services at select facilities; (5) supporting district-level Ministry of Health to operationalize the strategy to deliver essential nutrition services to all children; and (6) delivering capacity building workshops and implementing gender-responsive and integrated nutrition and health and WASH services for key stakeholders.
Expected Results
The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) improved nutrition and hygiene practices at community and individual levels among women men adolescent girls and boys in target countries; (2) strengthened gender-responsive adolescent-friendly integrated nutrition health and WASH services for the most marginalized especially women adolescent girls and children in target countries; and (3) improved effectiveness of stakeholders to integrate enhance and sustain quality nutrition health and WASH services for the most marginalized especially women adolescent girls and children in target countries.
Progress & Results Achieved
Results achieved as of March 2025 include: (1) 32 689 pregnant women and adolescent girls received one bottle of multiple micronutrient supplements and 500 received a second bottle at their ante natal care visits; and (2) strengthened the capacity of select healthcare facilities in Ghana Malawi and Pakistan to deliver integrated inclusive and gender-responsive services has begun. For example a study protocol was developed by SickKids and Aga Khan University in Pakistan for a research trial to assess whether training community-based Lady health workers to deliver an integrated package of nutrition hygiene and heat adaptation interventions to women of reproductive age improves birth child growth and other related outcomes. On the curriculum development 3 out of the planned 7 to 2 hour courses on nutrition for healthcare providers were developed and launched and 4 712 health professionals have completed one of these courses (65% women) across Ghana Malawi and Pakistan. This represents 17.6% of the end-of-project target for Ghana (20 000 courses); 15% in Malawi with the end-of-project target (6 000 completed courses); and 1.5% of the target in Pakistan (20 000 completed courses) having been delivered. IGNIT3’s courses are available through the World Continued Education Alliance (WCEA) digital learning platform which partners with the International Council of nurses the World medical association the United Nations Population Fund and others. WaterAid developed gender-responsive nutrition-integrated hygiene behaviour change communication packages for use by health workers hygiene promoters and community outreach personnel. These packages were designed using context-specific participatory strategies including baseline assessments formative research and local stakeholder consultations; they were developed for each country aligned with local contexts and behaviour impact which will inform future behaviour change initiatives.
Key Information
Executing Agency:
The Hospital for Sick Children
Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada
Program:
YFMInternaAssistPartnershp&Programing Br
Last Modified:
September 19, 2025
Development Classifications
DAC Sector:
Aid Type: Project-type interventions
Collaboration: Bilateral
Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation
Selection Mechanism:
Department-Initiated