USAID Multi Sector Nutrition in the Democractic Republic of Congo

The purpose of the Multi-Sector Nutrition (MSN) Activity is to support USAID/Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) efforts to improve nutrition outcomes among the Congolese population, especially for women of reproductive age (adolescent, pregnant, postpartum, and lactating) and children under five, in rural and hard-to-reach communities in select provinces. Improved nutrition outcomes are the result of changes across sectors (health, agriculture and livelihoods, water security, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), education, and the private sector) and at different levels, from the individual and household to communities and food and health systems. It is inherently challenging to coordinate and catalyze efforts among so many actors and systems. The core philosophy of the activity is that locally-led multi-sectoral initiatives that are capacitated to provide integrated nutrition services, promote both availability of diverse, nutritious foods and positive social and cultural norms are instrumental in improving equitable nutrition outcomes. Zonal and provincial leaders can catalyze investments in specific communities and share lessons for wider adoption, especially about how to tailor programs to address the specific needs of different communities in the DRC. This activity is an opportunity to increase learning about how to improve nutrition outcomes in resource-constrained settings where food insecurity is a significant problem. Social and behavior change interventions and health sector interventions have limited impact when and where food insecurity is rampant, but it is also a problem to focus only on improving availability and access to nutritious foods when social, cultural, and gender norms inhibit equitable access.1 In addition, time and resources are wasted when different sectors and actors are unable to coordinate their efforts. Strengthening the ability of zonal and sub-zonal leaders to build coalitions, mobilize resources quickly, and implement coordinated and timely interventions will have improved impact, strengthen community resilience during shocks, shortages, and other crises. Civil society is a crucial part of ensuring sustained improvements in nutrition, especially in terms of representing and reaching vulnerable and marginalized populations. By the end of the Cooperative Agreement, multi-sectoral nutrition groups should be functional in all four provinces at provincial and zonal levels in alignment with the goals of the National Strategic Multi-sectoral Nutrition Plan of DRC (2023-2030). Community leaders and communitybased organizations (CBOs) will have the capacity to identify nutrition concerns in their communities and act collectively using evidence-based interventions and tools to respond. Women, children, adolescents, and marginalized groups will have equitable access to 1 Litvin K, Grandner GW, Phillips E, Sherburne L, Craig HC, Phan KA, Patel AN, Dickin KL. How Do Social and Behavioral Change Interventions Respond to Social Norms to Improve Women's Diets in Low- and Middle-Income Countries? A Scoping Review. Curr Dev Nutr. 2024 May 11;8(6):103772. doi: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.103772. PMID: 38948109; PMCID: PMC11214384. Attachment 1. Funding Opportunity Description Page 3 of 16 integrated nutrition services, consume a diverse range of nutritious foods and practice positive nutrition and hygiene behaviors. Qualitative and quantitative evidence about the effectiveness of different interventions, especially addressing equity in access and consumption of nutritious foods, should be generated to provide guidance to DRC policymakers on adapting current programing and interventions to introduce in provinces without limited nutrition programming. It should be noted, however, that it is difficult to use certain quantitative measures, such as stunting, as an indicator of program success.2 USAID encourages the use of indicators which can be more directly tied to program activities and which builds on and adds to lessons learned from other multisectoral nutrition activities.3 The primary goal of this activity is to strengthen provincial and local capacity to plan, coordinate, and implement multi-sectoral nutrition and food system interventions that improve nutritional outcomes, especially among women of reproductive age (including pregnant and lactating women) and children under five.