Adequate nutrition in the first 1000 days (inclusive of gestation period) of a child’s life is key in ensuring physical and cognitive development which will affect the child’s ability to build a strong immune system, overall growth and development and eventually its ability to its full potential.
According to the Nigerian Demographic Health Survey 2018, 32%, 22%, 7% of children under five in Nigeria are stunted, underweight and wasting respectively. Also, according to the National Nutrition Health Survey, 2018, only 40.8% of children ages 6 – 59 months had received a high dose Vitamin A supplement. Also, only 40.4% pf children (ages 12 – 59 months) received deworming medication in the last six months. Also, only 8.9% pf pregnant women received at least three doses of Fansidar during the course of their pregnancy. Hence, there is a need to provide a BPNS to children under 5, pregnant, and lactating women that are more at risk of the effects of malnutrition.
The Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) is a state-led and World Bank-funded performance-based project which aims to increase the utilization of quality, cost-effective nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and children under five years of age. Primarily, the project focuses on increasing access to and utilizing a community-based Basic Package of Nutrition Services (BNPS) according to established targets to reduce malnutrition in Nigeria. The program is currently being implemented in 12 high malnutrition burden states in Nigeria.
Solina was competitively selected as a non-state actor to implement in 6 of the 12 States including Abia, Akwa Ibom, Gombe, Kwara Oyo and Plateau.
The ANRiN program is focused on delivering BPNS to children under 5 years old, pregnant, and lactating women. The services for pregnant and lactating are provided by:
- improving the knowledge of pregnant and lactating women on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) Services through the provision of five counselling contacts per year
- providing at least 90 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) supplements to pregnant women through three contacts per year
- increasing access to Intermittent Preventive Treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) for malaria by ensuring pregnant women receive three doses of Sulphadoxine Pyrimethamine during pregnancy
The BPNS for children under 5 are provided by:
- providing 30 sachets of micronutrient powders to children aged 6 – 23 months with at least 3 contacts per child per year
- ensuring children aged 6 – 59 months have access to two sachets of Zinc/ORS for treatment of diarrhea
- expanding access to semi-annual Vitamin A supplementation to children aged 6-59 months with two contacts per child
- strengthening access to semi-annual deworming amongst children aged 12-59 months by ensuring two contacts per child per year
Program milestones
10% of half year target to be achieved in at least 4 service areas within 3 months of contract signing
Half and full year targets to be achieved within 6 and 12 months of contract signing respectively
Stakeholders
- The World Bank
- Program management Unit, FmoH
- Program implementation Unit, SMoH
- Community opinion leaders and gatekeepers
- Community-based volunteers
- Beneficiaries – Pregnant, lactating women, and under-5 children
