Southern African Nutrition Initiative - Phase II - COVID-19 Response

This project aims to lessen the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on poor and marginalized communities in targeted areas of Malawi Mozambique and Zambia. Aligned with national pandemic response plans this project works to help reduce the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable people particularly women and girls by improving nutrition and food security resilience among households and communities and strengthening community-level sexual and gender-based violence prevention and response mechanisms. Project activities include: (1) 6 250 farm households in Zambia and in Mozambique are receiving training and support through Farmer Field Business Schools to improve farming practices and marketing skills leading to increased food security and strengthened livelihoods; (2) 200 households in Mozambique at greatest risk of severe malnutrition are receiving a cash transfer package so that they can purchase essential food; (3) 620 Village Savings and Loans Associations in Malawi and Zambia are being strengthened and expanded to support women’s income generating activities; (4) Community Health Workers are being supported to conduct nutritional status detection monitoring and treatment to reduce the incidence of malnutrition among women of reproductive age and children under 5YOA; (5) linkages between health care workers and community health workers are being strengthened to improve the delivery of survivor-centred support and referral to services; (6) training and awareness on issues related to gender inequality SRHR and positive masculinities are being conducted with community health workers local faith and opinion leaders young people and parents. This phase of CARE Canada's COVID-19 response expects to directly benefit 61 900 women girls men and boys in Malawi Mozambique and Zambia. This project also expects to indirectly benefit an additional 286 550 women men girls and boys.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved ability of communities and individuals affected by COVID-19 especially those experiencing marginalization and/or vulnerability to address their nutrition and food security needs; and (2) increased capacity of communities to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.