Suaahara | Increasing the use of quality health and nutrition services

Funded by USAID, the program aimed to address the causes of undernutrition by integrating nutrition with agriculture, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and health care interventions. Health workers, female community health volunteers, and others were trained in Revised Community-Based Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness. Training programs were conducted for 11,027 Health Facility Operation and Management Committee members and Primary Health Care/Outreach Clinic Management Committee members on strengthening community-level health services. Additionally, 4,815 health workers were trained on family planning and Healthy Timing and Spacing for pregnancies. The program also focused on improving the quality and services of health facilities, with 164 facilities improved through Partnership Defined Quality, 445 facilities improved through Health Facility Operation and Management Committee, and 635 facilities improved through Primary Health Care/Outreach Clinic. The use of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) and zinc during diarrhea increased by 12% between 2013 and 2015. Deliveries attended by skilled birth attendants increased from 55% in 2013 to 68% in 2015. Four times antenatal checkups visits during pregnancy also showed significant improvement, increasing from 65% in 2013 to 77% in 2015. The program also led to an increase in women using modern family planning methods and receiving counseling on Healthy Timing and Spacing for pregnancies. A higher proportion of women in Suaahara intervention areas were counseled on breastfeeding within one hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age, and infant and young child complementary feeding practices during antenatal care visits compared to women in Suaahara non-intervention areas. The program also established 1,140 integrated nutrition corners in health facilities, providing educational materials highlighting four food groups, various methods of contraception, and oral rehydration.