Mobilizing the Civil Society of Mali in Support of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement

• Country: Mali  
  
• Implementing Partner: Oeuvre Malienne d’Aide à l’Enfance du Sahel - OMAES
• Participating Organization: UN/WFP
• Duration: 24 months –January 2013- December 2014
  
• MPTF support: US$ 374.500
• Main Contact: Boureima Allaye Touré at boureimaallayetoure@yahoo.fr

 

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BACKGROUND

With poor infant and young child nutrition practices, underlying food insecurity, and high levels of poverty (63.8% of the total population lives in poverty)Mali suffers from very high levels of malnutrition. Nearly 9% of children under five years of age suffering from wasting (acute malnutrition) and more than one-quarter from stunting (chronic malnutrition) (2010 -MICS). Malnutrition continues throughout the life cycle with over 13 percent of women of reproductive age suffering from chronic energy deficiency (2006 DHS). Micronutrient deficiencies are also at extremely high levels, with more than 70 percent of children 6 to 59 months and over half of pregnant women suffering from anemia (MICS). Exacerbating the situation is the fact that health worker capacity in nutrition varies widely in Mali, compounded by frequent stock-outs of critical nutrition and health commodities. Security situation in the north of the country poses additional challenges.

In order to position nutrition more prominently in national health, growth, and poverty reduction strategies, a National Nutrition Forum was organized in 2010, which resulted in the assignment of a Nutrition Focal Point and creation of a Nutrition Select Committee comprised of representatives from the Ministries of Education, Agriculture, Industrial Development, and Health, as well as the Food Security Commissioner. This Committee, along with civil society and international NGOs, developed a national-level Policy Document for the Development of Nutrition, which focuses on reducing acute malnutrition, chronic malnutrition, and anemia, as well as improving nutritional management of pregnancy and food security.

Given the attention nutrition has recently received in Mali through the National Nutrition Forum and the establishment of a nutrition focal point, the timing is ideal for civil society to take on a more significant role in advocating for continued political commitment for, investment in, and planning of nutrition service delivery. With this project, the Civil Society Alliance will therefore strengthen the capacity, coordination, and effectiveness of Malian civil society to advocate for nutrition in a multi-sectoral manner that engages both the public and private sectors. While many Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) implement nutrition programs in country, their experience in advocacy, and particularly in nutrition advocacy, is limited. Moreover, partnerships among CSOs implementing nutrition programs with the broader non-health civil society community are lacking. A common voice on nutrition with a consistent message communicated by multiple stakeholders is urgently needed to ensure continued and expanded support for nutrition.

GOALS and OBJECTIVES

Given the attention nutrition has recently received in Mali through the National Nutrition Forum and the establishment of a nutrition focal point, the timing is ideal for civil society to take on a more significant role in advocating for continued political commitment for, investment in, and planning of nutrition service delivery.

This project, the Civil Society Alliance, will, therefore, strengthen the capacity, coordination, and effectiveness of Malian civil society to advocate for nutrition in a multi-sectoral manner that engages both the public and private sectors. While many Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) implement nutrition programs in country, their experience in advocacy, and particularly in nutrition advocacy, is limited. Moreover, partnerships among CSOs implementing nutrition programs with the broader non-health civil society community are lacking. A common voice on nutrition with a consistent message communicated by multiple stakeholders is urgently needed to ensure continued and expanded support for nutrition. The project will begin with policy analysis, progress to CSO advocacy capacity building, and lead to advocacy campaigning and monitoring. Objectives include:

• Objective 1: Improve the Structural Environment for Nutrition Advocacy.
• Objective 2: Build the Capacity of Malian Civil Society to Influence and Advance the Nutrition Policy Agenda.
• Objective 3: Lead National and Community-level Nutrition Policy Campaigns to include nutrition in national policies and programs, including the Strategic Framework for Growth and Poverty Reduction (CSCRP 2012-2017).

OUTCOMES and main ACTIVITIES

To ensure the project will result in better nutrition policy and program analysis, in CSOs equipped and trained to successfully engage public and private sector actors to promote nutrition, and in ongoing advocacy by CSOs, the following bundles of activities with their associated outcomes and outputs are envisaged.

OUTCOME 1: Improved Environment for Nutrition Advocacy

• Activity 1.1: Mapping of nutrition actors and alliances in Mali. A multi-sectoral approach will be taken that examines health, nutrition, agriculture, education, human rights, law, the press, academia, donor, Government, and the private sector (including the food industry) to expand beyond “nutrition/health CSOs” to other entities that impact nutrition.
• Activity 1.2: Analysis of ministerial policies and programs for gaps in how nutrition is addressed as the basis for advocacy efforts. A national policy analysis workshop will be organized.  A summary of the relevant policies and gaps, with recommendations to enhance their nutrition sensitivity, will be developed and disseminated to CSOs and Government partners for use in the development of a nutrition advocacy plan.
• Activity 1.3: Development of nutrition advocacy strategy by CSO following the national level workshop. Once the strategy is developed, it will be introduced to local CSOs that influence nutrition (i.e. the alliances organized through the CSO mapping) within each region. Regional advocacy strategy workshops will be organized to bring together the CSOs to review the plan and to outline how the plan will be implemented locally, and by which CSOs or groups of CSOs. Additionally, entry points for the evidence-based nutrition interventions will be identified outside of the health and nutrition system. For example, the forum will identify agriculture policies (e.g. food security strategies), programs (value chain development), and agents (extension workers), into which nutrition communication messages or services can be integrated (e.g. nutrition counseling and assessment).

OUTCOME 2: Malian Civil Society has the capacity to Influence and Advance the Nutrition Policy Agenda

• Activity 2.1: Development of nutrition advocacy tools needed to strengthen their role in nutrition advocacy. First, a set of core nutrition messages – evidence-based and likely related to Essential Nutrition Actions and Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition - will be developed, reflecting the priority gaps identified in the policy mapping and based on the needs identified during the advocacy planning. These messages will then be integrated into advocacy tools and campaigns, for use in both direct and indirect interventions, in line with the SUN Framework.
• Activity 2.2: Running nutrition policy and advocacy forums for capacity building to ensure understanding of and consensus on the malnutrition problems within Mali and the effective, evidence-based approaches to addressing nutrition. While nutrition programming is beyond the scope of an advocacy project, it is essential for effective and coordinated advocacy that CSOs are approaching nutrition in a consistent, harmonized, and effective manner (i.e. promoting the same types of interventions and targeting the same significant malnutrition problems.)

OUTCOME 3: National and Community-level Nutrition Policy Campaigns bring nutrition in national policies and programs, including the Strategic Framework for Growth and Poverty Reduction (CSCRP 2012-2017).

• Activity 3.1: Inventory of Government commitments regarding nutrition through quarterly information sessions conducted by the Civil Society Alliance.
• Activity 3.2: Development of a plan for monitoring the commitments of the Government regarding nutrition
• Activity 3.3: Setting up regional influence groups on nutrition as identified and engaged after the mapping exercise..
• Activity 3.4 Holding campaigns at the national, regional and community levels to promote nutrition policy in programs to increase the visibility and prestige of the SUN Initiative. As much as possible, advocacy efforts will be integrated or conducted alongside major community health and nutrition events such as National Immunization Days, National Food Security Days, International Women’s Day, etc. Communication around these events will enable the mobilization of communities for a greater understanding of and support to the process.
• Activity 3.5 Yearly regional meetings conducted for the CSOs so that they can provide an update and share with each other their progress, challenges and advocacy strategies on nutrition. These update meetings will also facilitate information sessions on nutrition policies and protocols.