Building Back Essential Nutrition Services in Bangladesh during COVID-19

This project aims to reduce the nutritional vulnerability of children under the age of five (boys and girls) adolescent girls pregnant women and lactating mothers in three districts of Bangladesh by building back the coverage and quality of nutrition services to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic situation. Bangladesh’s health systems and nutrition services are significantly affected by COVID-19. This project adopts a community-based preventive approach to address the root causes of malnutrition. Project activities include: (1) strengthening health care provider’s capacity to provide quality nutrition services to boys and girls under the age of five adolescent girls pregnant women and lactating mothers in the context of COVID-19 through training; (2) procuring essential nutrition supplies equipment and tools for health facilities; (3) strengthening community-based volunteers and support groups’ capacity to undertake community mobilization awareness-raising and communication campaigns to access nutrition services and support preventive measures for malnutrition; (4) strengthening adolescent clubs and their leaders’ capacity to provide simple nutrition counselling and distribute iron folic acid among adolescent girls; and (5) increasing advocacy on preventive measures to protect boys’ and girls’ nutrition under the age of five adolescent girls pregnant women and lactating mothers and severe acute malnutrition treatment using local therapeutic foods. The project expects to directly benefit 350 000 people (of which 50% women/girls) including 161 500 children under the age of five 83 000 pregnant and lactating women 106 000 adolescent girls and 450 children with severe acute malnutrition.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) strengthened the Habiganj and Bagerhat Districts’ health facilities’ effectiveness to provide services for the prevention of malnutrition among children under the age of five adolescent girls pregnant and lactating mothers during COVID-19; (2) strengthened community-based measures to improve nutrition services coverage among children under the age of five adolescent girls pregnant and lactating mothers in the Habiganj and Bagerhat Districts and generated evidence on the effectiveness of locally produced therapeutic foods to treat severe acute malnourished children in Cox’s Bazaar; and (3) increased advocacy on preventive measures to protect children’s nutrition under the age of five adolescent girls pregnant and lactating mothers and severe acute malnutrition treatment using local therapeutic foods.