USAID Kenya Nutrition and Health Program Plus: Year 4 Quarter 1 Progress Report

The program began in 2013 and is implemented by FHI360. The program's main purpose is to strengthen leadership, advocacy, and policy planning for nutrition, improve nutrition service delivery management, coordination, and implementation, and increase opportunities for learning and sharing of best practices in nutrition. Implementation progress and key achievements during the first quarter of 2018 (October 1 to December 31) focused on improving access and demand for quality nutrition interventions at community and facility levels. Strengthening leadership, advocacy, and policy planning involved supporting the development of a national nutrition policy and strategy, as well as enhancing the capacity of county nutrition technical fora to coordinate nutrition activities. Improving nutrition service delivery management, coordination, and implementation involved training health care workers on nutrition-related topics, such as infant and young child feeding and management of acute malnutrition. The program also supported the establishment of comprehensive care centers and community-based organizations to provide nutrition services. Increased knowledge and skills for health care workers were achieved through training and capacity-building activities. The program also supported the development of a child health and nutrition information system to track nutrition-related data and monitor progress. Strengthened nutrition commodity management involved improving production, supply, and distribution of nutrition commodities, as well as enhancing the quality and safety of food commodities and agricultural products. The program also supported the development of innovative approaches to nutrition commodity management, such as the use of electronic medical records and geographic information systems. Improved food and nutrition security was achieved through increased market access and consumption of diverse and quality foods, as well as increased resilience of vulnerable households and communities. The program supported the development of economic development and livelihoods projects to enhance household income and food security. Implementation challenges during the first quarter of 2018 included difficulties in accessing remote areas and ensuring the availability of nutrition commodities. The program also faced challenges in engaging with local communities and stakeholders to promote nutrition awareness and behavior change. Stakeholder participation and involvement were essential components of the program, with regular meetings and consultations held with county governments, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure that program activities were aligned with local needs and priorities. Lessons learned during the first quarter of 2018 included the importance of building strong partnerships with local stakeholders and ensuring that program activities were tailored to meet the specific needs of target communities. The program also recognized the need to improve its monitoring and evaluation systems to better track progress and identify areas for improvement. Quantitative impact of the program during the first quarter of 2018 included the distribution of nutrition commodities to over 10,000 households, the training of over 500 health care workers on nutrition-related topics, and the establishment of 20 comprehensive care centers. The program also supported the development of a national nutrition policy and strategy, as well as the enhancement of county nutrition technical fora capacity. Research and development activities during the first quarter of 2018 focused on the development of innovative approaches to nutrition commodity management, including the use of electronic medical records and geographic information systems. The program also supported the development of a child health and nutrition information system to track nutrition-related data and monitor progress. Progress on links to other USAID programs during the first quarter of 2018 included collaboration with the Feed the Future program to enhance household income and food security, as well as collaboration with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition to improve nutrition commodity management. Progress on links to other Government of Kenya agencies during the first quarter of 2018 included collaboration with the Ministry of Health to enhance nutrition service delivery management, coordination, and implementation, as well as collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture to improve nutrition commodity management. The subsequent quarter's work plan for the program included continued implementation of nutrition service delivery management, coordination, and implementation activities, as well as continued support for the development of a national nutrition policy and strategy. The program also planned to continue its research and development activities, including the development of innovative approaches to nutrition commodity management.