USAID and Khulna City Corporation Sign New Partnership to Improve Children’s Nutrition

USAID nutrition project signs memorandum of understanding to partner with Khulna City Corporation to enhance nutritional services provided in Khulna’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) centers
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Strengthening Multisectoral Nutrition Programming (MSNP) project, implemented by FHI 360, signed a new agreement to provide nutritional support in Khulna City Corporation to continue support to the Government of Bangladesh to reduce child malnutrition. The USAID project is collaborating with the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) to integrate growth monitoring and promotion services—key nutrition services—into the expanded immunization program in all four KCC zones.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Strengthening Multisectoral Nutrition Programming (MSNP) project, implemented by FHI 360, signed a new agreement to provide nutritional support in Khulna City Corporation to continue support to the Government of Bangladesh to reduce child malnutrition. The USAID project is collaborating with the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) to integrate growth monitoring and promotion services—key nutrition services—into the expanded immunization program in all four KCC zones.

With USAID support, KCC health staff were trained to deliver growth monitoring and promotion services to assess under two-year-old children's nutritional status by measuring their height, weight and mid-arm circumference and to provide infant and young child feeding (IYCF) counselling to the child's caregivers. Health centres were also provided with the needed equipment to offer this service. These efforts support the Government's efforts to manage acute malnutrition in community settings via the Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) program. When a severely acute malnourished child is identified through the growth monitoring and promotion service, s/he is referred to the Khulna Medical College Hospital for proper management. MSNP also works to re-engage mothers/caregivers who have stopped attending the expanded program on immunization services by providing SMS reminders of the service schedule and offering a toll-free telephone service for urgent inquiries related to child health and nutrition

In Bangladesh, child malnutrition remains a critical challenge – 31% of children under the age of 5 are stunted, 22% are underweight and 8% have wasting (BDHS, 2017)1. The Government of Bangladesh is committed to improving children's nutritional status, which can be seen in the National Nutrition Policy and NPAN2 and the establishment of national bodies, the Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC) and the Bangladesh Nutrition service, leading the charge.

From October to December 2021, 860 children have received these services in the four zones in KCC.