Where we work

Other countries of interest

The IYCN Project is active in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Peru. Read highlights from these countries below.

Bangladesh: Introducing a micronutrient powders program

We have expanded to Asia with a pilot program to combat malnutrition in Bangladesh, which has high rates of anemia among young children. IYCN is working with CARE’s Window of Opportunity project to provide families with vital micronutrient powders that can be mixed with home-prepared foods to prevent anemia and improve nutrition practices for more than 55,000 young children in the country’s Karimganj district.

IYCN is testing innovative strategies for integrating micronutrient powders into comprehensive infant feeding programs. By including the micronutrient powders in a broader effort to improve complementary food preparation and feeding practices, the project is using the packets to promote improved feeding behaviors—such as making sure that children get more nutrient-dense meals—to achieve long-term health improvements.

Ethiopia: New activities to combat malnutrition

With new funding from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), we have launched activities in Ethiopia, where more than 50% of children younger than 5 years are stunted as a result of poor nutrition.1 In December 2009, the project started supporting PEPFAR partners to improve nutrition practices for HIV- positive and -negative mothers and HIV-exposed children. The project will work with the government and partners to provide training in nutrition counseling, and to develop behavior change communication tools and materials for health workers, peer educators, lay counselors, and mother support groups in two regions of the country.  

Malawi: Building capacity for community-based nutrition and HIV services

In January 2010, we launched a new program in Malawi to support the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) as it introduces community-based nutrition and HIV services. OPC has identified lack of support in the community as a major constraint to providing effective nutrition and HIV services, and it intends to create a new cadre of community-based workers to meet this need. An IYCN assessment of infant and young child feeding will inform the design of this new initiative. The study, which assessed infant and young child feeding practices and diets, identified and tested several infant and young child feeding improvements that most caregivers can perform without needing income transfers or food assistance.

The project is working with partners to develop a comprehensive community nutrition package of activities reinforced by harmonized behavior change communication materials, training curricula and manuals, and implementation plans. After testing the community package in one focus district, the IYCN Project will develop a plan for national scale-up. Additionally, the project will lead a national workshop for nutrition stakeholders to develop a comprehensive infant and young child feeding strategy that will be implemented at the national, district, and community levels.

Peru: Validating infant feeding indicators

We are supporting the Instituto de Investigación Nutricional in Peru and its partner, California Polytechnic State University, in validating responsive feeding indicators with actual practices. The project will produce field-validated indicators that can be used in large surveys and by program managers to obtain reliable information about responsive feeding practices.

1 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition. New York, New York: UNICEF; 2009.

Photos: Aurelio Ayala III, Richard Lord, M.Dorgabekova, Richard Lord