What we do

Promoting a package of interventions to improve nutrition

The IYCN Project develops and implements tailored solutions for developing countries based on a package of proven nutrition interventions. This package has been validated internationally; it can be delivered as needed and at a cost appropriate to low-resource settings.

Our package includes the following interventions.

During pregnancy

  • Iron/folate (or prenatal multi-micronutrient) supplementation.
  • Promotion of adequate weight gain/adequate diet, including micronutrient intake, extra fluids, and meals or snacks.
  • Counseling about optimal breastfeeding practices.
  • Consumption of iodized salt.
  • Promotion of other health interventions that can improve the nutritional status of the mother and her infant. For example, deworming in endemic areas during the second and third trimesters will improve iron status of the mother and her newborn, and intermittent preventive treatment for malaria increases the availability of nutrients to the fetus and reduces the risk of low birthweight.

First six months postpartum

  • Appropriate practices in cord clamping to ensure optimal iron stores in the newborn.
  • Immediate initiation of breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact.
  • Avoidance of pre-lacteal feeds.
  • The full use of colostrum.
  • Exclusive, frequent, and on-demand breastfeeding for six months.
  • Extra food and fluids for lactating mothers.
  • Special care (skin-to-skin, kangaroo, iron supplements starting at two months) for low-birthweight infants.
  • Vitamin A delivered through breastmilk by giving mothers vitamin A supplements within 60 days after delivery. New studies show that giving vitamin A directly to newborns is effective in reducing neonatal mortality, although this method of supplementation is not yet widely used.

Ages 6 to 24 months

  • Continued frequent, on-demand breastfeeding to 24 months and beyond.
  • Timely introduction of complementary foods (starting at 6 months).
  • Increased quantity of complementary food as the child gets older (6 to 8 months, 200 Kcal/day; 9 to 11 months, 300 Kcal/day; 12 to 23 months, 550 Kcal/day).
  • Increased frequency of feeding as the child gets older, given that volume per serving is limited (6 to 8 months, two to three times per day; 9 to 11 months and 12 to 24 months, three to four times per day).
  • Increased variety of high-quality (nutrient-dense) foods and foods that contain essential micronutrients and lipids from animal sources, including flesh and animal foods, fruits, vegetables, and certain plant-based oils.
  • Increased quantities of complementary foods as the child gets older, until the child is eating family/solid foods.
  • Responsive feeding that is sensitive to the child’s hunger and satiety cues and also ensures a conducive psychosocial environment so that the child consumes a nutritionally adequate diet.
  • Good hygiene practices in preparing, feeding, and storing complementary foods.
  • Continued and increased breastfeeding and feeding of complementary foods during and after an illness.
  • Increased amounts of food more often after illness (recuperative feeding).
  • Support for appropriate solutions and programs to help meet nutritional requirements for micronutrients that are difficult to obtain through the locally available diet. Key solutions include iron, vitamin A, and zinc supplementation and fortified complementary foods.

Learn more about how we are delivering these interventions in a range of countries.

Photos: Aurelio Ayala III; 2005 Paul J. Crystal, Courtesy of Photoshare