Context
Myanmar is one of the largest countries in South-East Asia, and also one of the poorest. Most of the people there practise subsistence farming and face fluctuations in their food supply due to seasonal and structural conditions. One in six households is affected by nutrition and food insecurity in terms of both the quantity and quality of the food. According to the World Bank, the child mortality rate of 50 per 1,000 live births is more than three times that of neighbouring Thailand. Rakhine State in the Western part of the country, bordering Bangladesh, is among the least developed regions with high rates of poverty. About half of the children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition, which can lead to irreversible physical and mental impairment.
Objective
The food and nutrition situation of people in selected communities in Rakhine State, especially of women between 15 and 49 and children between 6 and 23 months, has improved.
Approach
Malnutrition has a variety of causes and to combat it, different sectors must be involved. The project works in the key areas of nutrition, nutrition-relevant basic health services and agriculture, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
The principal activities are:
• Improving advisory services on nutrition and nutrition-relevant basic health services
• Diversifying fruit, vegetable and fish cultivation at household level
The project contributes directly to the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. It furthermore contributes to SDG 3 (Health care, particularly mother-and-child) and 6 (clean water and sanitation).
The project mainly targets women of child-bearing age (15-49), as well as mothers and their infants, and is supporting all ethnic groups in the selected areas.