IMPROVING SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR NUTRITION & HEALTH

social accountability
Social Accountability for Nutrition and Health project is a 12-months project with funding from UNICEF, being implemented in partnership with World Relief. This project will be facilitated by PACHI using the districts nutrition structures namely District Nutrition Coordinating Committee (DNCC), Area Nutrition Coordinating Committee (ANCC), Village Nutrition Coordinating Committee (VNCC), Care groups, Promoters and the cluster leaders).

It will be tracking behaviors’ and altitudes on nutrition, happening at family/house hold level. Current nutrition interventions indicates a lot of activities have been implemented bringing awareness to the communities on nutrition; collaborative efforts have been made by the care groups, the promoters, the VNCCs composition of Front line workers which translates to behavior change at household level, however little is known on what is happening at this level.

The Program will be using a community behavior tracking tool at household level to obtain nutrition evidence which will be used to obtain issues for Social Accountability.

The behavior tracking tool will be used to track behaviors’ on pregnant and lactating women, breast feeding children six months and below, children 6 – 24 months, inclusive children 24 – 48 months; the tool will also track compliance on nutrition messages.

Social Accountability tools ‘Bwalo’ and the Score card will be used to engage citizens and strengthen their capacities to understand their responsibilities and be able to demand better Nutrition services. Bwalos will be created at Village Nutrition Coordinating Committee level where there is connection with the cluster leader and the promoter; using the set composition.

The program will provide capacity to VNCCs and Care groups to use score card at community level and develop action plans. The aim of this Project is to improve capacity of health and nutrition service delivery points in targeted districts to deliver good quality MNCH, HIV and Nutrition services for all children and promote healthy behaviors’.

Three districts of Lilongwe, Mangochi and Dowa will Champion Social Accountability for Nutrition and Health; targeting 21- Traditional Authorities in the three districts.