The first Global Summit on Food Fortification was held in Arusha, Tanzania, September 9-11, 2015 as part of international efforts to reinvigorate interest, investment, and awareness in food fortification and its role and potential in addressing micronutrient deficiencies.
In response to the increased awareness regarding foodborne disease in developing countries, FANTA conducted a literature review to investigate how donors, partners, and programs can reduce this burden at the household level.
Over the past year, FANTA and FFP jointly held workshops and technical assistance sessions in four countries—Burundi, Madagascar, Malawi, and Nepal—for the 7 organizations newly awarded FFP development food assistance projects in these countries, as well as for their partnering entities.
A new course, designed for USAID staff and external partners and hosted on Agrilinks and USAID University, introduces Feed the Future nutrition-sensitive agricultural programming guidance.
Social and behavior change (SBC) is a critical component in efforts to improve nutrition in a country. To help coordinate SBC activities in Côte d’Ivoire, FANTA is providing assistance to develop a national-level SBC strategy to guide the path forward for the different organizations that may be working to promote improved practices.
On July 9, a half-day event was held in Quetzaltenango Guatemala to mark the completion of the Maternal-Child Nutrition Distance Learning Course by 66 participants. The purpose of the training is to strengthen knowledge and practices on nutrition-related interventions to reduce stunting, which is particularly high in Guatemala and is a priority for the Guatemalan government as well as for the support being provided by USAID.
The Uganda Action for Nutrition (UGAN) Society is a professional body of nutritionists that was established to increase the visibility of nutrition, coordinate actions, and build the capacity of nutritionists. To raise awareness of nutrition issues in Uganda, FANTA provided assistance to revitalize UGAN’s website, which is now serving as a major information hub for students and professionals in the field.
As part of a series of online Q&A sessions that pose questions to leading experts in the areas of nutrition and food security, The Guardian hosted another live chat on June 11 to answer the question “How can we stop neglecting girls' nutrition?” As an important target group for nutrition interventions, reaching adolescent girls can be an effective way to break the cycle of malnutrition.
How would Tanzania benefit from improved nutrition between 2014 and 2025? FANTA facilitated a multi-stakeholder PROFILES process with the Tanzania Prime Minister’s Office, Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre, and other stakeholders to estimate the impact of improved nutrition. Results showed that high coverage of effective nutrition interventions would save 120,633 children from stunting-related deaths and gain US$39 billion in economic productivity.
The next meeting of the Project-Level Early Warning (or PLEW) Interest Group will be on June 11, 9 a.m.–11 a.m. U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, at FHI 360. The Norwegian Refugee Council will present its work, in consortium with other partners, to develop and implement a community-based early warning system in south and central Somalia as part of a broader project objective to build resilience among these populations.
