The Phase 2 of the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) Project seeks to build the capacity of local institutions to sustain and institutionalize the legacy of the ANRiN project. This initiative is led by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) under the ANRiN project management unit (PMU), implemented by Faith Leaders (CAN & JNI), and supported by the Centre for Communication and Social Impact.
ANRIN Phase 2 Kicks Off with CCSI Onboarding State Focal Persons
To foster the smooth and successful implementation of the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) Phase 2 project, the Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI) conducted an onboarding session on July 9 and 10, 2024. The session targeted the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) state focal persons across the project’s focal states: Abia, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, and Plateau. The goal was to equip state focal persons to support the rollout of ANRiN’s Social and Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) through Faith Leaders in their respective states.
Objectives:
• Update participants on the Phase 2 model of the ANRiN SBCC through the Faith Leaders’ Program.
• Clarify the specific roles and responsibilities of Focal Persons.
• Equip them with skills to correctly use the updated SBCC materials and tools.
• Improve their capacity to collate, validate, and report data from the implementing states.
• Enhance understanding of the project’s compliance and ethical standards.
The Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria project aims to increase the utilization of quality, cost-effective nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and children under five years of age in select areas. Nutrition is a critical part of health and development, as better nutrition is related to improved infant, child, and maternal health, stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth, lower risk of non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease), and longevity (WHO).
UNICEF reports that Nigeria has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 percent among children under five. An estimated 2 million children in Nigeria suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), but only two out of every ten children affected currently receive treatment. Additionally, seven percent of women of childbearing age suffer from acute malnutrition.
To address these issues, the Federal Government, in collaboration with the World Bank Group, launched the first phase of this project from 2021 to 2023. The first phase, “Basic Package of Nutrition Services,” aimed to scale up a basic package of nutrition-related interventions in twelve states. However, the second phase, “Stewardship and Project Management,” which commenced in 2024 in eleven high-burden malnutrition states (Abia, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Plateau), aims to strengthen key stewardship functions at the federal and state levels for the sustained delivery of nutrition services.
In the project’s second phase, CCSI is committed to collaborating with the Project Management Unit (PMU) and the World Bank (WB) to institutionalize the ANRiN project’s legacy. This will involve engaging faith leaders to drive the project, ensuring greater effectiveness and sustainability beyond its initial lifespan. By renewing engagements with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), and leveraging state chapters for deeper community reach, the initiative aims to stimulate these faith bodies and leaders to brainstorm and deploy sustainability strategies. These strategies include establishing nutrition desks, appointing nutrition focal persons, and mobilizing ‘domestic’ resources for ongoing activities and interventions.
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About Us
The Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI) is a leading Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) organization with expertise in utilizing evidence from research to implement effective strategies that address barriers preventing designated audiences from adopting recommended behaviors.
Birthed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (JHCCP), Baltimore, USA, and registered in 2001 as a Non-Governmental Organization with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria, CCSI continues to work towards being the center of excellence in strategic communications in Africa.
Driven by values of integrity, passion, care, innovation, and excellence, CCSI focuses on the central role of strategic communication to impact behaviors, build brands, and provide technical leadership in health and social development.