Where we work

Tailored country solutions

The Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project works around the world, with our strongest presence in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, to design and implement interventions to prevent malnutrition early in life. By focusing on prevention of malnutrition, our programs contribute to reduced morbidity and mortality, improved school performance, and increased productivity later in life.  

Our country programs are cost-effective, evidence-based, and innovative. Starting with a number of core elements, we tailor our work to the needs of individual countries and collaborate closely with country partners:

Needs assessment

To develop responsive, effective strategies, we work with each country to assess the country situation and identify needs for nutrition programs. An important focus is identifying barriers and facilitators to optimal nutrition practices.

Policy guidance

By collaborating with ministries of health and other partners, we assist countries to incorporate current international nutrition recommendations into national policies and guidelines.

Capacity-building and training

Once improved policies have been adopted, we work with partners to incorporate updated national guidelines into training curricula and job aids for everyone from health workers to community volunteers. We also enhance referral systems, supervision, and monitoring to improve the performance of health workers.

Behavior change communication and social mobilization

We use community-based techniques, such as mother support groups and drama troupes, to build support and sustain programs at the community level. We also create behavior change communication materials such as take-home brochures for mothers and families. 

Monitoring and evaluation

By emphasizing monitoring and evaluation from the outset, we ensure a results-based approach to influencing behaviors and improving infant feeding practices. We collect data to increase the effectiveness of our interventions and improve decision-making by program managers.

Identifying and sharing good practices

We continuously monitor and share lessons learned from each country in order to help a wide range of global and country partners enhance the impact of their programs.

We have expanded programs and offices in the seven countries listed below and have smaller projects in several more. Click on a country below to learn more.

Photos: Aurelio Ayala III, Richard Lord