Realigning Agriculture and WASH for Nutrition (RAGWA-Nut) Project

Background: The Realigning Agriculture and Wash for Nutrition (RAGWA-Nut) project is being funded by European Union (EU) and implemented by World Vision Zambia Limited (WVZ, Coordinator) and Jesus Cares Ministries (JCM, co-applicant) from 2016 to 2019 with the technical support from World Vision UK (WVUK, affiliated entity).  The overall objective the RAGWA-Nut project is to contribute to the reduction of maternal and child under nutrition in Sinazongwe, Monze and Namwala districts of Zambia’s Southern Province by project end. The project responds to the call of the National Food and Nutrition Strategic Plan 2011-2015 for multi-sector direction to addressing malnutrition in the first 1000 Most Critical Days Programmes (1000 MCDP). World Vision Zambia is implementing in Monze and Namwala district and JCM is implementing in Sinazongwe district. In Sinazongwe district, JCM is working with 8 Rural Health Centres in implementing various programmes on nutrition, health, water-sanitation-hygiene (WASH).

Achievement and Impact: The project in the 3 districts has been able to the build the capacity of community structure to deliver nutrition, health WASH programmes in partnership with relevant government ministries. So far the project has trained or built the capacity of 337 Safe Motherhood Action Group members (SMAGSs), 300 trained Positive Deviance Hearth volunteers, 259 saving groups, 69 nutrition groups, 77 WASH champions, 90 Infant Young Child Feeding volunteers, 232 community health worker and established District Nutrition Coordinating Committees in each of the three districts. This capacity building programmes have resulted in 12,284 pregnant and lactating women and their children receiving primary health care services in their villages and 2,838 (1,986 women and 852 males) are producing iron and zinc bio-fortified beans, vitamin a bio-fortified orange fleshed sweet potatoes and pro-vitamin A fortified maize. A total of 186 households have been empowered with five goats to improve food and economic security. To contribute to improved water supply, 10 boreholes were drilled, 15 rehabilitated and 25 stand taps constructed. In addition, 4,381 improved latrines and hand washing stations have been constructed in all the 3 districts.