Every Child Thrives in Côte d'Ivoire and Kenya

This project aims to serve children less than five years of age with vitamin A supplementation and de-worming programs in Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya. The mortality rate for children less than five years of age is 73/1000 live births in Kenya and 108/1000 in Côte d’Ivoire in 2015. Vitamin A deficiency and worm infection causes and worsens malnutrition anemia and diseases particularly diarrheal diseases which are a leading cause of death for children less than five years of age in these countries. Currently these services are provided in both countries through schools leaving children younger than five years unreached; a gap which this project is addressing. This project is providing improved delivery of these essential health services in communities where the actual coverage for children under five years of age is low. Project activities include: (1) increasing access to vitamin A and preventative de-worming treatments using existing community-based delivery systems; (2) strengthening the local health care system by training local health workers and community health volunteers in vitamin A supplementation and de-worming; (3) creating and utilizing a standardized toolkit for training on the implementation of responsive combined deworming and Vitamin A supplementation program targeting pre-school aged children; and (4) improving community engagement around vitamin A deficiency and de-worming in young children through responsive communication and engagement plans implementation as well as participatory activities with communities members community leaderships and health structures and other gender equality and women’s groups. This project is implemented in six regions of Côte d'Ivoire (Gneby-Tiassa-Me Bélier Bounkani-Gontougo Gbeke Gôh and Indenie Duablin) and in three counties of Kenya (Siaya Kwale and Kilifi). Effect : hope partners with Vitamin Angels a US-based NGO who also provides in-kind contributions of albendazole (de-worming treatments) and vitam

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (1) increased capacity of health systems to deliver de-worming and vitamin A programs for children under five years; (2) increased provision of preventative de-worming treatments and vitamin A supplements to children under five years; (3) increased knowledge and community support for de-worming vitamin A supplementation and the promotion of women’s decision-making and male involvement to achieve positive maternal child health outcomes; and (4) programming that effectively addresses gender equality and inclusion barriers in combined de-worming and vitamin A supplementation programming.