This project is part of the large PADISS project and focuses on improving nutritional health. A first step was to carry out surveys from the population, mainly in the Far North of North Kivu.
Nutrition Project at North-Kivu
Context
Malnutrition is still a major public health problem in the DRC today, particularly among young children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women.
For the province of North Kivu, the prevalence of chronic malnutrition is 49.6%, while it is 4.6% for severe acute malnutrition without edema. In addition, the nutritional situation in the province of North Kivu has been aggravated by an instability situation of almost three decades, if we consider the first crisis being the 1994 with the massive arrival of Rwandan refugees. This is an area where the situation has gotten worse since the 1980s and 1990s. If during these decades, one could count the cases of malnutrition in an isolated way in the hospitals, the situation today is considerably degraded to the point that the majority of the pediatric departments of the various hospitals of the province are occupied at more than 50% by severely malnourished children. It goes without saying that this situation contributes to the increase in the mortality rate in the province.
Objectives
- Assess the nutritional status of children aged 6-59 months
- Evaluate IYCF practices (Infant and Young Child Feeding)
- Assess morbidity status in children under 5 years of age
- Assess the level of household food consumption
- Determine coverage of VAR vaccination activities, Vitamin A supplementation, deworming with mebendazole (an antihelminthic used in worm infestations).
Activities
- Management of cases of severe malnutrition in the 9 health zones
- Support for pre-school consultations in all health areas
- Updated nutritional values of local foods available throughout these health zones.
Impacts
- > 2,000,000 people concerned (for the 9 affected health zones)
- Improved monitoring of child growth: encouragement and prevention advice for parents
- Adequate management of cases of acute malnutrition with the use of appropriate inputs
- Drafting of a provincial strategy to fight against malnutrition, both in terms of prevention and management.
| Complete Project | Project to support the integrated development of the North Kivu health system (PADISS) |
| “Accreditation” axis | Support for the establishment of an accreditation system in North Kivu |
| “Health Insurance” axis | Support for the establishment of an appropriate health insurance system |
| “DPS” axis | Support for the provincial health division of North Kivu |
| “Education” axis | Support for the establishment of an autonomous continuing training system in clinical practice and in the management of health services |
| “Urban Health” axis | Construction and rehabilitaion of health structures |
| “Nutrition” axis | Support for the establishment of a viable organization of health services in urban areas |
| “Gender and Participation” axis | Support for strengthening gender and community participation |
Financial partners
