Integrated Nutrition Programme

The programme focuses on providing food security for two communities in the Eastern Cape and two in the government.  The target group of the INP is malnourished children and families, HIV/AIDS and TB patients, pregnant and lactating mothers and nutritionally at risk families.  It is currently being implemented in Alfred Nzo and O R Tambo, both in the Eastern Cape. 

Innovation

The programme seeks to link health with development.  It follows a decentralisation policy where it will be extending the clinic services by distributing services to community-based organisations (CBO), bringing the offering closer to the targeted communities. The project focuses on the household as opposed to the individual.

Effectiveness

Problems of malnutrition are being addressed through the project via nutrition education and household food security projects.  The project is receiving greater participation of communities in developmental issues, since INP is not only health-oriented but also embraces other aspects of social development e.g. social grants and water availability.  These developments have also managed to bring the government sector nearer to the people for consultation and service delivery.  INP creates a ripple effect in community development, as water projects are now being established in those communities to address a water problem.

Poverty Impact

The INP focuses on capacity building of 4 CBOs and 40 volunteers who are implementing the project.  Capacity building of CBOs and volunteers are in the areas of basic project management skills, crop and vegetable production, accessing of social grants, Community Based Growth Monitoring and Promotion. 

So far, 12 volunteers were trained in crop and vegetable production at own Sithole College and Emphangeni College.  15 volunteers from O R Tambo district were trained in the community component of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI).  Once communities have been capacitated, excess food production will be sold for income generation in the communities.  The Primary Schools Nutrition Programme (PSNP) with huge financial resources, which are not benefiting the local communities, can provide a ready market for local vegetable produce.  The Local Hospital is also a potential market for these areas.

Sustainability

Will be ensured in the following ways:
- transfer of knowledge and skills to committees at community bases ensures that they will be able to apply these skills in there areas; proposed capacity building of CBOs and volunteers in basic project management skills and writing of project proposals so that they will be able to access funding from Poverty Alleviation Funds, other micro-finances or through collaboration with their local multi-sectoral task teams with access to local human and material resources; projects initially started as household food security projects will be turned into income generated projects with full participation of other government sectors; HST is facilitating integration of programmes and multi-level ownership of the programme in the project areas through the setting up of multi-sectoral task teams with relevant government sectors.  Sustainability of the project hinges on the proposal of funding lodged to the Eastern Cape government.  Since its inception in 2002, R2,4m expenses were incurred.  A further $900 000 US is needed for its sustainability.

Replication

The following measures ensure easy replication: sharing of lessons learnt with other clinics that were not involved in the pilot sites, as well as sharing with local municipalities, districts and provincial governments; organising for sharing of lessons learnt, positive buy-in and take-over of the project by government for large-scale implementation. In partnership with the NDA, the project has expanded to 12 other sites in Mt Free, Mt Alyff, Mt Fletcher, Maluti, Ntabankulu and Flagstaff.

Partnerships

• Provincial Government - Health, Agriculture, Forestry, Social Development.
• CBO/s - Zanempilo, Vukuylbambe, Nyandeni, Ntabankulu
• SA Funding Agency - NDA 35% funds
• Kellogg Foundation 65% funds