Mother's and Assuring Nutrition for Children Ma'rANChAL The project aims to improve the nutritional status of adolescent girls, pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under 2 years of age of 7 selected unions of Rampal upazila. This is a 20-months project from Nov,17 to Jun,19. The projects targeted 63 courtyard groups in 63 wards, 63 Nutrition Brigade, 7 UHNC and 1890 PEP HHs where 600 HHs will receive IGA training and support and remaining 1290 HHs will receive homestead gardening support and 200 P&L mothers will receive nutritious food. In the recent past, Bangladesh has made significant progress in several areas of economic and nutritional development. Yet, the nutritional situation in the country has been relatively very poor. Under-nutrition in Bangladesh is among the highest in the world and remains a serious public health problem. Approximately 6 million Bangladeshi children between six months and five years of age suffer from under-nutrition, with 41 % of children stunted, 36 % of children underweight, and 16 % wasted. 

The malnutrition rates are very high and improvement in nutrition and quality of life still remain a major challenge. In view of this, CSS with the support of ICCCO Cooperation have developed a project titled Mother’s and Assuring Nutrition for Children through Application of Learning (Ma’r ANChAL) to improve the nutritional status of adolescent girls, pregnant women, lactating mothers and children less than 2 years in the 7 most vulnerable unions of Rampal upazila under Bagerhat district Bangladesh. 

This objective will be achieved through the realization of four outcomes. 
First of all, the women and adolescent girls will be empowered through different awareness-raising activities so that they can raise their voice and establish their rights with regard to their health and nutritional need. Different community groups will be formed in the community level that will look after the issues related nutrition of adolescent girls, pregnant women, lactating mothers and children less than 2 years. 

Secondly, the project will help to create access for the poor and extremely poor (PEP) families to nutritious food grains. This will be done through providing different IGA training i.e. diversified crops production, homestead gardening, poultry, dairies, small groceries, tea stall, net making, candle making etc. After the training, the target households will be engaged in different income generating activities like homestead gardening, fish cultivation, net bag making, poultry rearing etc. which will increase their income and thereby, enhancing their financial ability to buy nutritious food. Moreover, the project will encourage them to adopt nutrition-sensitive IGA interventions so that they can create their own source of nutrition supply. 

Thirdly, the project will focus on basic health and hygiene. The improved health status of the beneficiaries will help reduce the prevalence of diseases that will ultimately contribute to their upgraded nutritional status. 

Finally, the project intends to establish linkage between local bodies, service providers and the communities so that they will be accountable and responsive.  It is intended that the impact of the project will be realized by increasing the amount of production and consumption of micronutrient-rich food crops, vegetables and of fish at the household level in combination with building climate-resilient agricultural and off-farm livelihoods options supported with greater market linkages and financial planning so that people can purchase more nutritious foods. 

The above in combination with targeted nutrition and health behaviour change communication activities and gender mainstreaming will reduce the prevalence of chronic malnutrition among young children of extremely poor and moderate poor households and improve the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women.