Micronutrient Initiative

Published purpose

Current estimates show between 100-250 million children missed their first round of vitamin A supplements in 2020 due to COVID-19, and many are missing their second. This project provides up to two rounds of vitamin A for approximately 35 million children in 12 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.. The countries in which the project provides vitamin A have the highest needs, as assessed by Nutrition International, in collaboration with national partners and the Global Alliance for Vitamin A. Project activities include: (1) providing children under 5 years of age with vitamin A supplementation, in countries where COVID-19 has interrupted its distribution, and child mortality is highest; (2) reinforcing crucial nutrition interventions that address the specific needs of young children immediately, to protect them at a critical phase of their life; (3) confirming the target countries for the first and second rounds of support, following updated needs assessments in March and September 2021; (4) delivering technical assistance and short-term funding needed to mobilize catch-up campaigns in countries at greatest risk of spikes in child mortality; (5) supporting countries in delivering integrated packages of essential child survival and health services as part of this catch-up effort; and (6) scaling-up of NI’s technical assistance and advisory services to reinforce government capability and programming.