Albania: Reducing Malnutrition in Children

 
Despite considerable progress since the 1990s, relatively low child mortality rates and good exclusive breastfeeding practices, Albania faces multiple child nutrition problems, including high rates of stunting and overweight, disparities in health and nutrition status and micronutrient deficiencies. The Joint Programme strengthened the government's capacity to monitor, address and prevent undernutrition, and supported local interventions to boost awareness, capacities and mechanisms for tackling household food insecurity and malnutrition.
 
The programme promoted nutrition as a national development priority, encouraging a multi-sector approach which produced a framework for collaboration among five line ministries (Health, Agriculture, Education, Social Affairs and Finance) to address malnutrition and food insecurity issues.
 
Main achievemetns included:
 
  • Several important surveys and activities expanded the knowledge base about determinants influencing nutrition and food security.
  • The programme also helped improve nutrition data collection, analysis and decision-making, which contributed to the development of the new Food and Nutrition Action Plan.
  • At the community level, 245 homestead gardens and small scale animal husbandry models were established to help households ensure a steady availability of high nutrient content fruits, vegetables and animal products.
  • The programme also supported the development of a national curriculum for healthy eating and nutrition in basic education, as well as a public health nutrition module for the ongoing education of primary health care workers.
 
 
Click here for more detailed results of the Joint Programmes in Albania.

 

The Joint Programme in action

JOINT PROGRAMME QUICK FACTS

Programme Dates 22 Jan 2010 - 30 Jun 2013
Net funded amount $4,000,000
Participating UN agencies FAO, UNICEF, WHO
National partners Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Affairs, Institute of Public Health, INSTAT, Institute for Development of Education, School of Medicine
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