In December 2016, U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat, USAID Mission Director Janina Jaruzelski, and other senior USAID delegates visited a Farmer Nutrition School (FNS) in Baccharpara village in Khulna division. The delegation observed a number of nutrition and hygiene practices taught by SPRING including fruit and vegetable farming, chicken rearing, and fish culture. The group also watched an FNS refresher training and talked with the participating mothers about health and nutrition issues.
The delegation expressed appreciation for SPRING/Bangladesh’s work in improving family nutrition across its Feed the Future zone of influence along the coastal belt of Bangladesh. Since its inception in 2012, SPRING/Bangladesh has established 6,421 FNS groups, supporting 126,255 pregnant and lactating women and caregivers of children under two in 40 sub-districts (upazilas) of Khulna and Barisal divisions.