Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) is all set to implement EU-funded Programme for Improved Nutrition in Sindh (PINS-ER2) through through sub-award with its partner Rural Support Programme i.e. Sindh Rural Support Organization (SRSO), to implement Programme for Improved Nutrition in Sindh (PINS) ER 2 project activities in three target districts namely Shikarpur, Larkana and Kambar Shahdadkot.
The duration of the project is of 3.2 years commencing from July 2018 to June 2021. The project aims to contribute to ending undernutrition and hunger (SDG 2) by improving the health and nutrition status of children and mothers by rapidly expanding and enhancing coverage of nutrition specific intervention in the targeted districts of Sindh.
The specific objective of the Action is to capacitate the GoS so that it may efficiently implement its nutrition multi-sectoral policy while providing direct assistance to significantly and rapidly reduce malnutrition in rural Sindh. To strengthen local / government department capacities through nutrition specific interventions integrated with primary health care at community/health facility level. Similarly, support will be provided to existing GOS (Government of Sindh) interventions such as the AAP (Accelerated Action Plan) project for stunting reduction through creating synergies with the government strategies. PINS program will focus on the 1000 days’ window of opportunity to effectively prevent stunting. The aim of PINS program is to improve the nutritional status of under five children (U5) and of Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) by addressing malnutrition through provision of effective nutritional services at the community and facility level that meet nationally and internationally recommended minimum standards of care for the population.
The intervention will have both treatment and preventive interventions planned in order to enable implementing partners to achieve both short and long term objectives.
The program will also aim to enhance capacities of the Government of Sindh to effectively implement the multi-sectoral strategies and contribute in sustainable reduction of the burden of undernutrition in the province. Specific objectives include provision of nutrition care and treatment for children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM), prevention of undernutrition in early childhood through promotion of appropriate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, prevention of micronutrient deficiencies in women and children through provision of multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS), and strengthening local capacity to integrate community based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) into primary healthcare systems. In addition to SDG2, the proposed action will contribute directly to SDGs that are directly related to nutrition- (1-6, 8, and 15-17) and indirectly to all SDGs, as well as to Pillar IV of Pakistan’s Vision 2025.
The Rural Support Program Network will be responsible for oversight of outreach activities in the Lady Health Worker (LHW) uncovered areas of three districts by Community Health Workers (CHWs). RSPN will oversight technical backstopping, roll out of technical trainings, financial and compliance backstopping of partner RSPs, under the leadership of Action Against Hunger. Besides these, RSPN will be responsible to identify and train 1437 Community Health Workers (CHWs) to carry out, outreach activities including screening of 6-59 month children and pregnant and lactating women, ensuring monthly meetings of mother to mother and father to father support groups with the support of implementing partners.
