Engaging Adolescents to Accelerate Progress on the First 1,000 Days
This paper was prepared by SPRING and Save the Children UK. Full acknowledgements are included in the PDF version that can be downloaded at the link above.
Thousand days
Ghana: Final Country Report
Executive Summary
The SPRING project began work in Ghana in 2014 in response to a request from USAID/Ghana for support to reduce stunting in the Feed the Future zone of influence in the Northern and Upper East Regions of the country.
The Biology of the First 1,000 Days
Crystal D. Karakochuk, et al. March, 2018.
SPRING Presents for International Women’s Day
On March 8 2018, SPRING celebrated International Women’s Day with a presentation at the 1,000 Days Advocacy Working Group in Washington, D.C. Gwyneth Cotes, Global Initiatives Director; Altrena Mukuria Country Initiatives Director; Sarah Titus, Food Security and Nutrition Manager; and Peggy Koniz-Booher, Social and Behavior Change Communication Team Lead spoke about the central role that gender equity plays in improved nutrition outcomes.
Improved Infant and Young Child Feeding Takes Root in Nigeria
The 2013 Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) for Nigeria found that infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices remain suboptimal in Nigeria. Among other findings, only 17.4% of children under six months old are exclusively breastfeed, and only 35.3% of mothers are continuing breastfeeding at two years. Child nutrition outcomes are often poor, with the rate of wasting among children under five years old at 18.0% and the rate of stunting at 36.8%.
Engaging Stakeholders in Analyzing Findings and Developing Recommendations
UNICEF, the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), and SPRING carried out an evaluation of the Community Infant and Young Child Feeding (C-IYCF) Counselling Package in Nigeria. In September 2017, two SPRING staff members and one consultant traveled to Nigeria.
SPRING/Kyrgyz Republic Celebrates BFHI Certification for Six Facilities in Jalalabad and Naryn Oblasts
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) defines global standards of optimal care for appropriate breastfeeding and mother-child bonding. Participating hospitals undergo a process of planning, training, and organizational and policy changes to achieve 10 steps.
Photos: SPRING/Kyrgyz Republic Celebrates BFHI Certification for Six Facilities in Jalalabad and Naryn Oblasts
USAID, Ministry of Health, and oblast government representatives attended the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) award ceremony for three facilities in Jalalabad on January 31, 2018. On the same day, MOH and oblast administration officials in Naryn awarded BFHI certificates to three facilities.
View the News Story here.
SPRING Disseminates Program Survey Results at Round Table Event
SPRING/Kyrgyz Republic, funded by USAID to address issues of chronic malnutrition and anemia among women and children of Kyrgyz Republic, hosted a round table event on Friday, November 17, 2017 to disseminate the findings from a series of four population-level surveys undertaken by the project over the past four years, including gains in nutrition outcome indicators.
SPRING in the Kyrgyz Republic: Evidence of Significant Improvement in Nutrition Practices
The SPRING project is a seven-year USAID-funded Cooperative Agreement to strengthen global and country efforts to scale up high-impact nutrition practices and policies and improve maternal and child nutrition outcomes.