An assessment of the causes of malnutrition in Ethiopia: A ...

interventions in Ethiopia, including those carried out by government bodies.)
The Nutrition unit of the MOH (part of the Family Health Department) lacks
resources and empowerment, with limited opportunity to improve nutrition. Most nutrition
activities are included within the broader scope of child survival, health promotion, or
micronutrient deficiencies control. On the other hand, the more visible Food Security Bureau
of the MOARD has failed to address nutrition beyond production and food aid dimensions.
The DPPC has developed over the years an emergency response system that mainly focuses
on logistics, with little or no understanding of nutrition. No comprehensive framework for
nutrition encompassing promotive, preventive, and curative needs exists in the country.
Within the non-governmental sector, a number of national and international NGOs
implement small-scale nutrition activities through self-standing nutrition projects or nutrition
components of health or food security projects. Their activities cover both preventive and
curative needs. As in the state sector, there is limited coordination and integration across the
various projects, although a number address nutrition in line with existing health services and
food security strategies. Bi-lateral and multilateral UN agencies are supportive of nutritional
programs implemented by both government and NGOs. Additional details on the nutrition
activities of these non-governmental bodies are provided in Table 6.3. (Table 6.6 contains a
non-exhaustive overview of nutrition interventions in Ethiopia, including those carried out by
government bodies.)
Table 6.3: Overview of selected non-governmental organizations working on nutrition issues
in Ethiopia.
CARE CARE is implementing the Essential Nutrition Actions and micronutrient projects as part
of the MICAH network (see World Vision below). The aim is to reduce both protein and
micronutrient malnutrition in women and children under 15 through cost-effective
interventions – Vitamin A and iron/folic acid supplementation, deworming, and food
diversification. CARE also implements emergency relief activities including nutritional
surveillance, food distribution, and community therapeutic centers for under-fives and
other vulnerable groups.
Concern Concern manages community therapeutic centers for the severely malnourished.
Treatment protocols include distribution of ready-to-use therapeutic food, supplementary
feeding through outpatient therapeutic program, and nutritional surveillance.
Essential
Services for
Health in
Ethiopia
FAO, UNICEF,
& Belgian
Survival Fund
The focus of the ESHE project is on child survival and health system strengthening. It
supports government health service efforts to develop a cadre of community health
promoters. Plans are in place for introducing community nutrition volunteers.
The ’Improving Nutrition and Household Food Security’ project is in several food
insecure woredas in Amhara, Tigray and Oromia. Among the objectives are to improve
nutrition through food-based approaches and enhancing access to sanitation and safe
water. This is being done in a community-led manner.
GOAL GOAL recently began managing community therapeutic centers to treat acute
malnutrition, as well as working to build capacity of formal health institutions for the
prevention and treatment of malnutrition.
Linkages Linkages is a technical NGO collaborating with government and non-government
agencies to conduct advocacy and training on the Essential Nutrition Actions. Its
emphasis has been in working with and strengthening the capacity of local partners
throughout the national health system, particularly through an extensive training program
built on a Training-of-Trainers (TOT) model.
Micronutrient
Initiative
The Micronutrient Initiative is a technical agency that provides advisory services and
supports financing for the procurement and distribution of micronutrient supplements
and fortificants, with a focus on vitamin A and salt iodization.
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