Facts & Figures

REGIONS IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE

Gontougo, Bounkani, Tchologo, Poro, Bagoué, Folon, Kabadougou, Bafing, Worodougou, Béré, Haut‐Sassandra, Marahoué, Bélier, and Iffou

TIMELINE

2018–2023

TARGETED POPULATION

  • 265,245 pregnant women
  • 1,100,000 children under the age of 5

FACILITATORS/ENABLERS/TRAINERS

  • Decentralized administrative authorities (sub-prefectures)
  • Local execution agencies (mostly NGOs)
  • Public service providers
  • Community-based hearths (FRANCs)

MILESTONES/KEY OUTCOMES FOR 2020

  • Expansion of package into 11 new administrative regions
  • Deployment of performance-based health financing system in some targeted regions
  • Capacity reinforcement of public servants, public front-line workers, and community volunteers

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About the project

The Multisectoral Nutrition and Child Development Project (PMNDPE) is a government-led program, largely financed by the World Bank, deployed in 14 administrative regions of Côte d’Ivoire aiming to increase the coverage of early childhood nutrition and development interventions in order to optimize the physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development of young children starting in the first 1,000 days.

Challenge

In Côte d’Ivoire, the prevalence of stunting remains alarmingly high at 28% (MICS 2016). Stunting has emerged as one of the key markers of poverty and vulnerability as well as a major challenge in ensuring effective human capital development. Furthermore, other early childhood indicator outcomes continue to lag. Only 14% of children aged 3–5 have access to early learning opportunities, parents have little support to deliver better care and stimulation to their young children, and child protection outcomes (i.e., birth registration rates) remain low. While the government has shown substantial interest and engagement to boost investments in the early years and advance child development outcomes, several barriers and bottlenecks must be addressed.

Solution

By focusing on four major components, PMNDPE aims to improve young children’s holistic development outcomes. First, community hearths will offer community-based nutrition services. An integrated parenting education program to improve parents’ knowledge about early childhood development and to promote behavior change that is optimal for nurturing care and stimulation will be put in place. The program will also support primary care facilities by providing quality maternal nutrition and health care. Finally, incentives will be provided to primary healthcare facilities via strategic purchasing to improve demand, supply, and quality of health services.

Results to date

The project became effective on May 17, 2018. While the PMNDPE preparatory activities began right away, the government officially launched it in mid-November 2018. Since late January 2019, workshops aiming at elaborating detailed content for each PMNDPE component have taken place. Preparations for community-level activities with stakeholder training in early childhood development (ECD), project management, and effective monitoring launched in mid-2019. Actual activity implementation in the villages began in 2019. To date, more than 260 community-based child development hearths (FRANCs) have been established (one per village). Each of these hearths are supported technically and financially by technical implementing agencies contracted by the project implementation unit (PIU) for a period of 5 years. Prior to the start of the Covid-19 global pandemic, the following beneficiaries had been reached:

  • 71,619 children aged 0–59 months
  • 7,461 pregnant women
  • 20,047 breastfeeding women
  • 63,500 women of reproductive age (15–49 years)

National stakeholders view the PMNDPE as a proof of concept; an intervention that will allow the Government to fine-tune its community-based approach (FRANCs) to improve delivery of interventions that advance good nutrition and child development. As such the program is expected to face number of challenges at the start that, ideally, will fade overtime.

Scientific evidence

The 2016 Lancet Series—one of the most respected scientific journals globally—concludes that to make child-focused interventions successful, smart, and sustainable, they need to be implemented as multi-sectoral intervention packages anchored in nurturing care. The Lancet also strongly suggests that parents, caregivers, and families be prioritized as beneficiaries as they are key players in helping young children achieve their developmental potential. The PMNDPE uses a multisectoral approach by involving several key ministries in deploying specific services to targeted communities.

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