Kenya Nutrition and Health Program plus (NHPplus) Quarterly Progress Report FY 2015/2016

The program focuses on improving access and demand for quality nutrition interventions at facility and community levels, strengthening nutrition commodities management, and improving food and nutrition security. NHPplus is a five-year program that started in January 2015 and is currently in its second year of implementation. Key activities of NHPplus include capacity strengthening, technical assistance, and data management/M&E support to health managers and workers at National and County levels. The program also supports efficiencies in nutrition commodity procurement, management, distribution, quality control, and safety. Additionally, NHPplus partners with stakeholders to impact good nutrition for mothers and children and works with Feed the Future (FtF) and other agri-nutrition partners to devise innovative approaches to reduce stunting during the first 1,000 days "window of opportunity" and increase resilience of vulnerable households in the five focus counties of Busia, Kitui, Marsabit, Samburu, and Tharaka Nithi. During the quarter, key achievements include enhancing the capacity of 80 health facilities to deliver nutrition assessment and counseling through training of 227 healthcare providers in 6 counties. This is expected to lead to improved nutrition service delivery and management within the facilities covered and better nutrition outcomes for patients. Another achievement is the identification of facilities' capacity to manage acute malnutrition through conducting facility assessments in Kitui County using the HiNi-OJT tool. A total of 54 facilities that require strengthening were identified based on selection criteria such as presence of MNCH services, established community unit, and location at sub-county or ward level. NHPplus also supports the implementation of the National Nutrition Action Plan (NNAP) and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement. The program works closely with the Ministry of Health, County governments, and other stakeholders to ensure that nutrition interventions are integrated into existing health systems and that there is a strong focus on community-based nutrition programs. The program's monitoring and evaluation framework is designed to track progress towards its objectives and to identify areas for improvement. Key indicators include the number of health facilities strengthened, the number of healthcare providers trained, and the number of facilities assessed for acute malnutrition management capacity. The program also conducts regular surveys and assessments to monitor nutrition outcomes and to identify areas where additional support is needed. Overall, NHPplus is making significant progress towards its objectives, and its interventions are expected to have a positive impact on the nutrition status of Kenyans. The program's focus on capacity strengthening, technical assistance, and data management/M&E support is critical to ensuring that nutrition interventions are effective and sustainable.