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Multi-sector

USAID Visit Highlights SPRING/Ghana’s 1,000-day Household Program in Northern Ghana

From November 1 – 2, 2016, SPRING/Ghana hosted visitors from USAID/Ghana and USAID/DC for a visit to Karaga District in the Northern Region and Bawku West District in the Upper East Region. Rebecca Fertziger, deputy director of the USAID/Ghana Health, Population and Nutrition Office, led the visit. Guests received a first-hand look at SPRING’s multi-sectoral collaborations, including with health, education, environment, agriculture, community development, and other sector organizations.

SPRING Takes Part in the 2016 Micronutrient Forum Global Conference

This October, SPRING participated in the 2016 Micronutrient Forum Global Conference, a space for global researchers and practitioners to collaborate on promoting scale-up and sustainability of evidence-based programs to improve micronutrient adequacy. This year’s theme was Positioning Women’s Nutrition at the Centre of Sustainable Development.

Experiences and Learning from the 'Micronutrient Powders Consultation: Lessons Learned for Operational Guidance'

Introduction

Micronutrient powders (MNP) are single-dose sachets of vitamins and minerals that are mixed into food immediately before consumption. MNP are—

  • efficacious in reducing both anemia and iron deficiency
  • relatively easy to use and usually do not affect the taste of foods
  • available in large quantities at a relatively low cost. 

However, operationalizing MNP interventions remains a complex challenge.

Challenges with Identifying Rapid Methods that are Accurate and Cost Effective for Food Fortification Monitoring and Inspections

Introduction

Levels of micronutrients added to fortified foods in Uganda must meet the standards set by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS). These levels are set to significantly increase the population’s micronutrient intake of vitamin A, iron, and iodine to help reduce micronutrient deficiencies. These deficiencies can only be managed if the fortified products contain adequate nutrients.

Piloting the District Assessment Tool for Anemia in Kapilvastu District, Nepal

SPRING’s District Assessment Tool for Anemia (DATA) increases awareness of anemia and helps districts take action on this prevalent problem. Increasingly, health officials are seeing DATA as a valuable district-level decision making tool.

Earlier in the year, SPRING’s Danya Sarkar and Denish Moorthy traveled to Kapilvastu District in Nepal and conducted a district-level workshop to assess how the tool could enhance district-level anemia reduction activities.

National and District Tools to Guide Anemia Programming

SPRING has developed guidance tools to support countries to develop context-specific and data-driven approaches to combat anemia. The Landscape Analysis Guidance provides detailed information to policy makers and program implementers on how to gather, understand, and use anemia-related data; and the District Assessment Tool for Anemia (DATA) assists program managers in strengthening anemia programming at the district level.

SPRING and Uganda’s National Anemia Working Group Pilot the District Assessment Tool for Anemia in Namutumba and Arua

In August 2016, SPRING’s Nancy Adero (Technical Advisor of Anemia and Micronutrients) and Danya Sarkar (Nutrition Specialist) conducted district-level workshops to support Uganda’s National Anemia Working Group (NAWG) in piloting the District Assessment Tool for Anemia (DATA) in Namutumba and Arua districts.