Growth Through Nutrition

Insight

Building on the work of the ENGINE project [LINK TO ENGINE page], Growth Through Nutrition is USAID’s flagship multi-sector nutrition and WASH project in Ethiopia. The project improves the nutritional status of women and young children in the country’s four productive regions, focusing on the 1,000 days from conception to a child’s second birthday.

Action

The Manoff Group supports Save the Children’s Growth through Nutrition team by providing technical leadership in state-of-the-art social and behavior change communications (SBCC) research, strategy design and implementation, and SBCC multi-media and related implementation tools.  We are conducting formative research into the drivers of nutrition, WASH, and agricultural practices, including maternal and adolescent girl nutrition. We are building the capacity of frontline agricultural and health workers in nutrition, hygiene, and agriculture.  And we are developing training materials and job aides to help health workers to improve nutrition outcomes in rural households and communities, with a special focus on 1,000 Days households, and contributing to the improved delivery of quality nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women and children.

Change

TMG led the design of two qualitative research studies. The first, a Trials of Improved Practices (TIPs) [LINK TO TIPs page] study, identifies improved maternal nutrition practices that are feasible for pregnant or breastfeeding women.  The second assesses the socio-cultural context of girls’ nutrition practices, including their family relationships and their agency to adopt improved practices.  A local private sector research team implemented the research and is working closely with TMG to generate findings and recommendations that will lead to the design of evidence-based SBCC programming to improve the nutrition of women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and adolescent girls.