Quarter 1 FY 2015/2016 Progress Report: Kenya Nutrition and Health Program plus

The five-year program, which started in January 2015, is in its second year of implementation, with the current report referring to its 5th quarter (January – March, 2016) 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, NHPplus provided Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) Technical Working Group (TWG) with both technical and financial support to re-design and review the National Policy on MIYCN. The program also supported the National Nutrition Technical Forum (NTF) secretariat to host a quarterly meeting and Samburu County Nutrition Technical Forum (CNTF) secretariat to host a meeting to develop its terms of reference. NHPplus sensitized 227 health care workers from 80 health facilities, in the 6 counties of Nairobi, Narok, Nakuru, Kitui, Homabay, and Migori, on Nutrition Assessment Counselling and Support (NACS). The program also conducted facility assessment in Kitui County using HiNi-OJT tool and identified 54 facilities for subsequent capacity building on management of acute malnutrition. In Kitui County, the program conducted a Continuing Medical Education (CME) on "In-patient Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition" with a focus on triage and admission criteria for 27 health care workers in Katulani Health centre. The program's efforts aim to contribute towards improving nutrition-related behaviors and outcomes in the target counties. By strengthening capacity, improving commodity management, and enhancing food and nutrition security, NHPplus seeks to reduce undernutrition and improve the overall nutrition status of Kenyans.