Rolling-out SUN in Malawi and Niger – New case studies by WFP

In April 2015, two case-studies were released by the World Food Programme (WFP) about how they supported the Scaling-Up-Nutrition Roll-Out in Malawi and Niger. The case studies are part of a project initiated by the WFP Policy, Programme, and Innovation Division to support Regional Bureaux and Country Offices in knowledge sharing.

The case studies highlight key success factors and lessons learned to date from each of the experiences. The goal in sharing these case studies is to showcase the work of WFP Country Offices in support of country led efforts, and to leverage the experiences to support nutrition programming globally.

Malawi

In the Malawi Case Study, a stunting prevention programme in Ntchisi District of the central region of Malawi was reviewed. The programme was part of Malawi’s Scaling-Up-Nutrition programme. It was a large-scale, community-based intervention, which included a social and behavior-change communication (SBCC) campaign around appropriate dietary intake during pregnancy, optimal infant and young child feeding practices (IYCF), and hygiene promotion. Key success factors identified were:

• Well-structured National SUN Framework
• Systematic and Evidence-Informed Programme Design
• Reliable Coordination Platforms and District Ownership
• Data-Informed Programming
• Sustained WFP Presence at District Level
• Integrated Approach to Stunting Prevention
• Strong Nutrition Capacity of WFP
• Innovation in Technology to Improve
• Programme Efficiency

Niger

The Niger case-study delves into detail about how the WFP office in Niger transformed from a country office with nearly no nutrition programming to one that is treating the largest number of children with acute malnutrition globally in ten years. Key success factors identified were:

• Increasing nutrition technical capacity
• Prioritising nutrition in the Country Office and on the national agenda
• Forming a durable alliance between WFP and UNICEF
• Using data to inform nutrition programming

The knowledge sharing project was in response to numerous requests from programme and nutrition officers for examples of how WFP has implemented nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions. Other examples under this project include a review of flour fortification in Egypt, local production of specialised nutritious food in Pakistan and nutrition sensitive interventions in Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. WFP headquarters sent officers to each of the countries to interview stakeholders, review programming documents, and visit implementation sites. The project also developed a template and guidance for writing technical case studies in order to facilitate further documentation of other experiences. The project is funded by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).

Learn more about the WFP Niger Case Study: Scaling Up Nutrition Programming in Niger | Download

Learn more about the WFP Malawi Case Study: Scaling Up Nutrition Programming in Malawi | Download