Suaahara II M&E Plan

The program will incorporate a specific focus on adolescent girls and other household members, promoting greater gender equality and social inclusion. Suaahara II will target women and disadvantaged groups, with activities taking place in 40 districts, 38 of which were part of the Suaahara I program, and 17 of which have been implementing the Suaahara program since 2012. The program will be delivered through targeted and intensive social and behavior change communication, universal and intensive coverage of 1,000-day mothers and households by frontline workers, strengthening of existing health systems and service points, and mass media to raise awareness and increase demand for services. Suaahara II consortia partners include Helen Keller International, CARE, Equal Access, Environment and Public Health Organization, FHI360, Vijaya Development Resource Center, and Nutrition Technical Assistance Group, with Helen Keller International leading all monitoring, evaluation, and research activities. The program's Theory of Change, as shown in Figure 1, includes activities, outcomes, and preconditions needed to drive improvements in the nutritional status of women of reproductive age and children under 5 years of age in Nepal. Intermediate Result 1 aims to improve household, nutrition, WASH, and health behaviors, while Intermediate Result 2 seeks to increase household use of quality nutrition and health services. Intermediate Result 3 focuses on increasing household access to diverse and nutrient-rich foods, and Intermediate Result 4 aims to accelerate the rollout of the Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan through strengthened local governance. The program will build government capacity to deliver high-quality services, strengthening governance, coordination, and delivery structures and standards that support sustainable nutritional improvements among women and young children. Suaahara II will promote greater gender equality and social inclusion, targeting women and disadvantaged groups, and will be delivered through a multi-sectoral approach that includes social and behavior change communication, frontline worker coverage, health system strengthening, and mass media. The program's monitoring, evaluation, and research activities will be led by Helen Keller International, with input from all partners on the design and implementation of the MER and information management systems. The program will use a range of indicators and targets to measure progress, including those related to household nutrition, WASH, and health behaviors, household use of quality nutrition and health services, and household access to diverse and nutrient-rich foods. Suaahara II's Theory of Change highlights the importance of shifts in community capacity, including improved household nutrition, WASH, and health practices, as well as increased household production of nutrient-rich plant and animal foods, increased income from homestead food production, and increased resilience to nutrition shocks. The program's governance component aims to decentralize the Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan rollout, transfer functions to district governments, and strengthen government planning and management capacity. The program's service quality and reach component aims to improve the quality and coverage of quality CB-IMNCI, promote quality RH services, improve HTSP and FP services, and improve health information systems. Overall, Suaahara II aims to drive improvements in the nutritional status of women of reproductive age and children under 5 years of age in Nepal, through a multi-sectoral approach that promotes greater gender equality and social inclusion.