Sierra Leone
Joined Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement:
January 2012National multi-stakeholder platform for nutrition:
National Multi-stakeholder PlatformCountry nutrition status
- Yes
- In process
- No
- Costed
- M&E framework
National multi-stakeholder platform (MSP)
National nutrition plan
Advocacy and communications framework/plan
Subnational nutrition coordination mechanism
SUN networks in-country presence
Finance for nutrition
Country priorities 2022
- Developing a costed action plan for identified food system pathways to improve food and nutrition security for all in Sierra Leone.
- Strengthening the functionality of SUN networks, including the SUN Business Network, academia/research networks and subnational coordination structures.
- Promoting capacity-building along the food production, processing, marketing and consumption value chains and widespread nutrition education on healthy foods and diets that targets the general population.
Progress towards SUN 3.0 Strategic Objectives (SO)
In 2021, parliament supported the enactment of new policies (e.g. the Code on the Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes) and approved the first budget allocation for therapeutic food supplies to treat severe and acute malnutrition. A national nutrition survey using the Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transition (SMART) methodology was launched with a review of the nutrition policy (to be validated in the first quarter of 2022). The Civil Society Alliance actively supports advocacy for the inclusion of people living with HIV into the national social protection scheme. The profiling assessment that initiated this discussion was completed and validated in November 2021.
The SUN Secretariat is supported by other SUN networks and civil society organizations, with plans under way to formalize the SUN Academia and Business Networks. Although the Government funds nutrition actions, the amounts allocated are meagre and not disbursed on time. MSP members have been advocating for increased Government funding and the timely disbursement of nutrition-specific funds. The nutrition information generated by partners is not centralized, with the lack of a common annual action plan for all stakeholders to commit to in 2021 hindering alignment. Nevertheless, national dialogues as part of the Food Systems Summit were organized nationwide and raised awareness.
An effort was made in 2021 to mobilize, advocate and communicate for impact, while also using data from the SUN/ REACH mapping tool to document stakeholder activities countrywide. Data was collected and entered for analysis, but the results are yet to be finalized due to technical problems with the programme. A consultant has been contacted to help overcome this. Data collection for the mapping of stakeholder and nutrition actions took place in 2021.
Under the leadership of the focal point, the SUN Secretariat conducted quarterly coordination meetings of all networks, which fostered alignment among stakeholders. Through governance and coordination, the country was able to hold national dialogues to identify pathways for improved food and nutrition security for all in support of the Food Systems Summit, as well as identify national commitments for the 2021 Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit. A series of meetings were held at the district level to identify strategies to strengthen coordination among SUN stakeholders, with the Food and the Nutrition Steering Committee (first created in 2014) reactivated.
2021 shared country good practice
Orange-fleshed sweet potato awareness-raising
Advocacy
Through the effort of Helen Keller International, the orange-fleshed sweet potato (PetetePap), a locally produced complementary food for children aged 6–23 months, was launched by the Vice-President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, in Koidu Town, Kono district on World Food Day in 2021.
