Levels of child malnutrition have not declined significantly over the last two decades. The project supports the Government's poverty alleviation strategy because it encompasses rural and indigenous people among whom the incidence of extreme poverty is highest. It also focuses on vulnerable groups such as pregnant and lactating women, children and the chronically ill. Within Lima, the project covers the district of San Juan de Lurigancho, one of the poorest areas of the city. The project design does not include new construction, but instead aims to improve the functioning of available infrastructure through the provision of basic equipment and medicine.
Community outreach is emphasized, including the participation of existing community health workers.
The project envisages the use of experienced NGOs to supplement the Government's capacity, and steps have been taken to facilitate their participation. The project aims to improve the effectiveness and targeting of the Government's current food assistance programs by expanding child growth monitoring, strengthening education activities, particularly to improve breast-feeding and weaning practices, and by providing micronutrients. No food is being financed under the project. Malnourished children identified through growth monitoring would be enrolled in existing food assistance programs. So far, the consensus has been no, based on the argument that risk groups are hard to identify in Africa because of high rates of HIV infection in the general population.