Emergency Nutrition Response for Priority One Drought Affected and IDP Hosting Two Woredas - North and Central Gondar Woredas of Amhara Region Ethiopia is facing a multitude of humanitarian challenges including conflict and climate change-induced internal displacement on an enormous scale that is adding additional pressure to health services, while many regions face an uncertain food security future with under-performing rains and a negative outlook in many parts for 2019. In response, Concern proposes a six-month emergency nutrition project to contribute to the reduction of mortality, morbidity, and suffering associated with acute malnutrition among children under five years of age and pregnant and lactating women in two P1 woredas of Gondar, Amhara Region. This life-saving project will treat and manage SAM and MAM in children 6-59 months and PLW in the target woredas, in a comprehensive approach that includes capacity-building of key government health staff, system strengthening, IYCF education and protection and GBV prevention integration. 

The project aims to achieve three integrated and mutually reinforcing outcomes that will contribute to the overall objective. Through establishing and strengthening OTP/TSFP sites and providing on-the-job mentoring and technical support to frontline health workers, the project will contribute to the strengthened treatment of acute malnutrition among vulnerable groups, particularly children under five, in the affected populations Janamora and Kinfaz woredas in Amhara Region. Concern will promote optimal IYCF practices among mothers/caregivers of children below 24 months both at the distribution site and community level that lead to improved levels of knowledge and practice of mothers/caregivers on child feeding and caring practices as well as hygiene promotion. Concern will provide quality nutrition and medical care through the CMAM approach as well as build the capacity of program staff and local woreda staff on key protection and GBV prevention issues that will contribute to the improved knowledge and skills of Ministry of Health staff in the management of SAM and MAM to enable a better response to fluctuating levels of malnutrition. Concern will also try to orient critical components Surge approach such as threshold setting and resource mobilization. Combined, these approaches will contribute to cluster objectives through reducing mortality and morbidity associated with SAM and MAM, as well strengthening local health systems, government actors and mainstreaming protection and GBV prevention issues.

Concern will build off experience in implementing emergency programming support by EHF and other donors in the proposed target areas. With support from EHF, Concern implemented an emergency nutrition response in  Kinfaz Begela and Janamora woredas of North Gonder, Amhara Region most recently from March 1st – November 30th 2018. Concern is thus well prepared to rapidly implement the proposed project and will use experience and lessons learned to address the key bottlenecks to good quality service uptake identified during the previous interventions. This will include ensuring strong coordination mechanisms are built between Health and Nutrition actors at woreda level (previously only at zonal and regional level) and exploring solutions with WoHO for maintaining quality service delivery given the high staff turnover in remote areas.