Prevention and treatment of acute Malnourished Boys, Girls, pregnant and lactating women through Outpatient Therapeutic Programme (OTP) with stabilization center services to avert nutrition related morbidity and mortality in Balcad district. Under this project, Wocca will respond to the life threatening nutrition situation in Somalia currently being exacerbated by the current drought situation happening across the country. It will specifically target Balad district where Wocca is the primary rationalized partner. Wocca will run an Outpatient Therapeutic programme (OTP) with Stabilization center (SC) services with the main objective being to save the lives of individuals that have developed Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and to prevent the development of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). 

More specifically the project will emphasize on the following three segments:- (1). Community mobilization, whose objective will be to sensitize the population to the problem of malnutrition and how to identify it, in order to reach more children and at an earlier stage in their development of acute malnutrition, therefore increasing programme coverage and recovery. Screening of children through assessment of Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) and nutritional Oedema, mobilization of key leaders and associations, education and sensitization, promotion of acceptance of the programme by the community and follow up of patients in programmes that default or present a problem will constitute the major interventions under the community mobilization segment. -(2). Outpatient care - to treat patients with SAM who have a good appetite and no medical complications through weekly or biweekly distributions of Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs) and routine medicines, medical and nutritional monitoring of the patient. (3). Inpatient care -  to treat patients with SAM who have poor appetite and/or medical complications through daily therapeutic milk and medical treatment in inpatient care centre. A referral system will be put in place to transfer patients from one component to the next (when the patient condition worsens), or to return to the previous one if the evolution of treatment is satisfactory.

Wocca will operate one stabilization center (sc) in its facility in Balad town from where also one fixed OTP will be run: This 1 fixed OTP and 1 mobile OTP will serve 5 locations namely Horseed, Halgan, Waberi star, Hawo tako and Ceel Gelow. Another mobile OTP will serve the furthest locations of Balcad district namely Qolimow and Farax gololey all cases that warrant SC will be transferred to Balad town. WOCCA will thereafter extend its activities to the remaining components of the Basic nutrition service package viz Micronutrient support for vulnerable groups (pregnant and lactating women and children under age 5) e.g. with Vitamin A and multiple micro-nutrients (MMN), Food based and non-food based preventive actions including nutrition sensitization activities, Integrated multi sectoral nutrition, health, hygiene (NHHP) preventative, food-security and promotional support and Infant amp young child feeding support (promotional and preventative) especially support to caregivers for feeding sick children. The primary targets of the project are children under 5 amp PLW. Efforts will be made to reach other vulnerable groups including the elderly and the disabled