Providing lifesaving nutrition services to Pregnant and Lactating Women and Children Under 5  in Yusufari and Jakusko LGAs of Yobe State. Jireh Doo Foundation (JDF) is proposing by this 10-month project to improve access to quality malnutrition prevention and curative nutrition services to Moderate Acutely Malnourished, Severe Acutely Malnourished children as well as Pregnant and Lactating Women in Jakusko and Yusufari LGAs of Yobe State. To achieve this JDF will implement an integrated nutrition intervention in the project locations targeting 4000 MAM children (Yusufari, 1500, Jakusko 1500) and 1000 PLW (Yusufari 500, Jakusko 500). JDF will engage in systematic identification, referral, and treatment of acutely malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women while working in close coordination with health facilities in the LGAs and the Nutrition Sector in the project locations. 

JDF will implement the Mother/Family MUAC approach which puts mothers and families at the center of malnutrition screening as mothers want to participate fully in promoting the health of their children. This approach is relevant and compliant in the COVID-19 context with the restriction on movement and large gatherings, social distancing regulations and other COVID-19 prevention, and control methods. The approach will significantly reduce exposure between the nutrition service providers and beneficiaries. This will be situated within a comprehensive Social Behavior Change Communication that will include Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) programme in Emergency, formation Mother to Mother and Father to Father support Groups where WASH, Health and GBV as well as COVID-19 messaging will be shared. JDF will adapt manual developed by the sector and other partners for this component of the project. 

JDF will manage moderate acute malnutrition via Targeted Supplementary Feeding Programme established for MAM children aged between 6-59 months amp MAM Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) using ActionMeal, a therapeutic/supplementary Food made from locally available foods in Nigeria comprised of maize 60%, soybeans30% and groundnut 10%. It contains total energy of 483 Kcal/100g. JDF has used this locally formulated supplementary food as a preventive mechanism for over 3 years and has shown a significant reduction in the rate of SAM cases at our implementing communities. Families with identified MAM cases will receive follow up from community nutrition volunteers present in the community. SAM cases with medical complications will be immediately be referred to the Stabilization Centres (SC), SAM cases without medical complications referred to OTP for specialized services. 

The project will also implement an agricultural livelihood (poultry and micro-gardening) component targeting 400 households across the 2 project locations of the project as a sustainability and exist strategy. Most vulnerable households including women headed households with children aged 5 years and below will be identified through a community targeting process where the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be developed by the communities with support from JDF. Some criteria that may be considered will include employment status, possession of household assets, number of children etc. After a final list of beneficiaries is arrived at, JDF will pass the list over to the community for validation before distribution.