NUTRITION

The Support for Analysis and Research in Africa (SARA) project provides technical support to USAID's Bureau for Africa, Office of Sustainable Development (AFR/SD) in its management of the Nutrition Results Package. Technical inputs include a broad array of activities from priorities for capacity building in the region, to updates on nutrition and HIV/AIDS, to input on indicators for monitoring vitamin A activities. SARA also provides technical assistance to AFR/SD supported Cooperating Agencies.

Results Package: Nutrition

The SARA activities support the following AFR/SD intermediate results package for improving provider performance:

• Increased African Commitment to addressing nutrition-related problems
• Strengthened African regional and national capacity to plan, manage, implement, and evaluate nutrition-related policies and programs.
• Increased number and quality of nutrition-related activities integrated into USAID bilateral and regional programs.
• Increased joint planning and programming with USAID partners and other donors on nutrition-related activities.
• Existing and new approaches to improve nutrition-related behaviors and practices at the population level developed, evaluated and disseminated.

AREAS OF FOCUS:

• Issues Identification
• Research and Analysis
• Dissemination and Advocacy
• Capacity Building and Collaboration with African Institutions

SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES TO NUTRITION IN AFRICA (SANA) PROJECT

The Sustainable Approaches to Nutrition in Africa (SANA) Project is a six year Cooperative Agreement between the Academy for Educational Development (AED) and the Africa Bureau of Sustainable Development (AFR/SD) of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to support program oriented nutrition research and training in Africa.

The SANA Project works in partnership with African institutions, networks and nutrition centers of excellence to strengthen regional pre-service and in-service training programs in nutrition, to conduct and disseminate results of research to improve nutrition program design, management, implementation and evaluation, and to improve nutrition information dissemination, advocacy and networking in Africa. SANA's expected results are:

• Individual and institutional capacity for nutrition program design, implementation, management and evaluation strengthened in Africa;

• Innovative nutrition planning approaches institutionalized within existing African institutions, networks and centers of excellence;

• Diffusion of lessons learned and better practices for nutrition improvement increased in Africa;

• Nutrition advocacy capacity and implementation enhanced in Africa.

ACTIVITIES:

In its last two years SANA will focus on the following activities:

• Actively disseminating the materials developed through the project:

List of some of these tools includes:

• Monitoring and Evaluation of Nutrition and Development Programs: A Trainer's Manual.
• Integrated Nutrition Program Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
• PROFILES policy analysis spreadsheets. PROFILES power point presentations
• Introduction to Advocacy Training Guide
• Designing by Dialogue and Training Guide for use with Designing by Dialogue
• Nutrition Essentials
• Nutrition Training Modules
• Community Nutrition Programming: Best Practices and Lessons Learned for Sustainable Community Nutrition Programming.
• HIV/AIDS Nutrition: A Review of the Literature and Recommendations for Nutritional Care and Support in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Nutrition Briefs: Linking Multiple Sectors for Effective planning and Programming.

• Institutionalizing available training packages in pre-service public health, nursing, and other nutrition-related disciplines.
• Developing distance learning materials to reach greater numbers of people working in programs.
• Fostering new partnerships among institutions, networks, and donors for sustainability.
• Advocating for nutrition and nutrition program-related activities at all levels.