Scaling up the fight against child hunger and malnutrition in south-east Mauritania

This Joint Programme was established to combat an alarming increase in malnutrition in two southeastern regions of Mauritania. In these regions, where food insecurity levels are highest and living conditions are in fastest decline, the underweight prevalence in children under five rose from 35% in 2007 to 40% in 2008, more than twice the national average.

The programme comprises a package of integrated interventions for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition, targeting 107,000 children and 316,000 women in over 120,000 households. This package was developed with an emphasis on sustainable actions for improving food security, changing feeding behaviours and strengthening the management of malnutrition. The programme engages a regional mechanism for coordination and supervision, within an integrated multi-partner and multi-sector approach.

Reduce Child Mortality

JOINT PROGRAMME QUICK FACTS

Total Budget $7,500,000

Delivery Rate

Participating Agencies WFP, UNICEF, WHO, FAO

Recent Programme Highlights

Food security in the targeted regions improved thanks to the construction of 7 storehouses with a savings and agricultural credit management system, and to the technical support provided to more than 16,000 local producers who received equipment and market gardening training.
Almost 22,000 participants were involved in “work for food” schemes. 120,000 children aged 6-59 months received vitamin A and 108,000 children aged 12-59 months received deworming medicines.
A group of trainers and 191 nurses and midwives were trained on a new protocol to treat, monitor and report under nutrition.

^*as of June 2012 programme reporting period