The Hospital for Sick Children

Published purpose

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.