Accessing free technical advice for nutrition in: en-net

en-net is a free and open resource to help field practitioners have access to prompt technical advice for operational challenges for which answers are not readily accessible. It is hosted and run by the Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN) (www.ennonline.net).

en-net is an interactive online forum that caters for those working in acute and chronic emergency contexts and where there is a high burden of undernutrition. It aims to support those working in nutrition and food security and related sectors by enabling them to pose urgent and challenging questions they face in programming to access ‘collective’ and applied advice that is not reflected in standard guidelines.

There are currently 10 thematic areas:

• Prevention and treatment of severe acute malnutrition
• Prevention and treatment of moderate acute malnutrition;
• Assessment
• Coverage assessment
• Infant and young child feeding interventions
• General food distribution
• Livelihood interventions (including cash)
• Micronutrients
• Urban Programming
• Humanitarian systems

Additional forum areas include upcoming trainings, cross-cutting issues, announcements and vacancies for short or longer-term assignments.

Discussions are primarily peer-led so that experiences can be shared and advice provided by others working in similar situations. A team of 15 technical experts is on-call to respond to questions that require answers or to clarify complex technical issues from an informed and balanced perspective.

How to join en-net

To use en-net you can simply go to www.en-net.org.uk to view discussions, or create an account and sign up to one or more forum areas. It is simple to join a discussion by using the “post a reply” function, or to post your own question using the “submit a new question” link on the home page. You can post in your own name or anonymously, as preferred.