Improved access to prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition of children under 5 and PLW from IDPs, and vulnerable host communities in Heliwa and Kahda districts in  Banadir Region. The proposed emergency nutrition interventions will provide integrated lifesaving treatment for acute malnutrition in the targeted districts of Heliwa and Kaxda through facility and community- based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) targeting children under five and pregnant and lactating women (PLW). The proposed project aims to increase coverage and access to the management of both moderate and severe acute malnutrition (MAM/SAM), vitamin A supplementation and deworming as well as promotion of optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. SOS will adopt an expansive IYCF in Emergencies (IYCF-E) strategy aimed at increasing reach beyond mothers raising infants but also fathers, grandfathers, community leaders, religious leaders, teachers, etc.

The proposed project will contribute to improving equitable access to quality life-saving curative and preventative nutrition services through the support of static health and nutrition facilities in Heliwa and Kaxda districts in Banadir region. The project activities will be implemented within SOS hospital in Heliwa and Community health center in Kahda The SOS nutrition teams will provide a systematic identiﬁcation, referral and treatment of acutely malnourished cases by providing integrated nutrition services to OTS, TSFP and Stabilization centers. The provision of OTP services for those children with SAM and the referral and treatment of SAM cases with medical complications to the SOS stabilization centre in Heliwa and other SCs in the nearest location in Kahda district. Micronutrient supplementation, promotion of IYCF practices, promoting the adoption of good hygiene and sanitation practices will be done, providing treatment for all age groups, both male and female prioritizing the disabled children to benefit from the nutrition services. The nutrition interventions will improve early identification and prevention of malnutrition and therefore reduce excess morbidity and mortality in the target districts. 

  Furthermore, the intervention will also provide child protection awareness creation on COVID 19 and adopt WHO and UNICEF IEC risk communication and print it in local language- Somali as well general awareness child protection prevention messages. The project will also ensure frontline health workers are well equipped and protected by distributing Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) including facemasks, handwashing facilities, hand sanitizers, soaps, gloves, etc.

Finally, SOS will carry out the proposed activities in an integrated manner with other sectors such as Health, Food Security, WASH and Child Protection to promote synergy, and to address the underlying and root causes of acute malnutrition. Effects will be made to prevent occurrence of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) by collaborating with available mechanisms in the target locations. Gender mainstreaming will be fully ensured in the community mobilization events, service provision and for the training of staff and other project stakeholders. Data for the beneficiaries will be disaggregated by age and sex. SOS will promote full participation of women, girls and boys, in the project planning, monitoring and implementation to promote their voices are heard and are taken into account including communication preferences. A particular focus will be given to ensure participation of people with special needs or with disabilities by targeting 10% of the total target population in both districts.

At the end of the project, SOS will provide the following interventions
	Screening of 10903 children (4361 boys, 6542 girls) and 826 PLW for acute malnutrition 
	Treatment of 7268 children MAM and SAM 
	Treatment of 1000 SAM with complication 
	IYCF counselling and promotion messages
	MNS 
	Capacity building of staff, MOH/BRA and CNWs