Lifesaving Treatment and Prevention of Acute Malnutrition for Children Under 5 and pregnant and lactating women affected by flooding in Aweil East county of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state Action Against Hunger proposes a 6 months lifesaving, gender-sensitive nutrition project, from 5 November 2021 to 5 April 2022, for the first reserve allocation to respond to severe flooding in Aweil East county. The current proposal is in line with the HRP 2021 for nutrition. The overall objective of the project is to reduce mortality and morbidity among children under 5 (U5) and pregnant and lactating women through a lifesaving nutrition services to flood affected communities in Aweil East County. 
The project will contribute primarily to Strategic Objective (SO) 1 of the HRP 2021 for South Sudan, which aims to reduce morbidity and mortality as well as suffering from protection threats and incidents, of the most vulnerable women, men, girls and boys in severity levels 3 and 4. In line with CMAM protocol, the project’s two main components are:
1. Life-saving interventions through detection and treatment of children under 5 (boys and girls) with severe and moderate acute malnutrition and malnourished PLW from both host and IDP/returnees’ communities in the flood affected villages within and outside the catchment of our nutrition sites in Aweil East. Nutrition services will be provided at the outreach sites in 19 worst affected villages (Cuomator, Agok, Makach Kier, Malual Akuong, Hal Bul and Magok) through Outpatient Therapeutic Program (OTP) for SAM children without complications as well as Targeted Supplementary Feeding Program (TSFP) for MAM children and PLW supported by our static nutrition sites (Mayen adhoot OTP site, Warmalual, Malualbia, Malulakon, Omdurman, Warawar, Yargot, Lieth, Bakou, Wanjok, Gabat, Marol Ajuong, Mabil Abiet, War Berdit, mathiang Nintok and Agot) children with SAM and medical complications will be referred to our Stabilization Centre (SC). At community level, Community Nutrition Volunteers (CNVs) will conduct active case finding to strengthen early detection and timely referral of malnourished children U5 and PLW, both through routine community screening and Family MUAC approach. All children (6-59m) with SAM without medical complications who are enrolled in the OTP program will be tested for malaria as per the national CMAM guidelines, and those testing positive will be treated. The nutrition site staff will be trained on the national CMAM guidelines. 
2. Prevention of malnutrition in children under 5 and pregnant and lactating mothers through promotion of MIYCN, health, WASH and appropriate feeding and care practices through sensitization sessions at nutrition site level, as well as community sensitization. All mothers/caregivers of children under 5 and PLW will be counseled. The staff at the outreach sites as well as CNVs will be trained on the national MIYCN guidelines.
Mother to Mother Support Groups (MtMSGs) will be formed and trained. To meet immediate food security needs, MTMSGs will also conduct nutrition-sensitive cooking demonstrations as well as kitchen gardening activities. Led by male staff, Men Group Discussions will initiate a dialogue around crucial nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive topics and gender issues (esp. MIYCN, GBV), enable women’s access to services, and safely promote gender equality through encouraging mutual support between gender groups. Safety audits will be conducted at all the outreach sites at least once during the project period using the tool endorsed by the nutrition cluster for South Sudan. A standard feedback and complaints mechanism (FCM) will be conducted across the sites to understand the concerns of the beneficiaries and collect information on how to continue improving the program activities. The community activities will be carried out using other funding sources.