Reducing Anemia in Uganda: The SPRING Approach and Lessons Learned (SPRING)
SPRING/Uganda, USAID and SPRING (accessed January 16, 2018).
URL: www.spring-nutrition.org/sites/default/files/publications/briefs/spring_rdc_anemia_ll_10-26-17.pdf
Background
The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy 2014–2025 highlights the need for an integrated, multi-sectoral approach to reduce anemia. In the past decade, USAID’s Micronutrient Program (MOST) and Micronutrient and Child Blindness Project (A2Z) projects, as well as the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), have supported the Government of Uganda (GOU) in addressing anemia. MOST strengthened guidelines and programs for maternal anemia at the national and district levels, and integrated deworming, malaria prevention, and iron–folic acid (IFA) supplementation into facility-based antenatal care. A2Z carried on MOST’s efforts, improving coverage and adherence to anemia interventions for pregnant women. A2Z also worked with GAIN to support the government in fortifying wheat flour, maize flour, and vegetable oil. Since 2012, USAID’s Strengthening Partnerships, Results, and Innovation in Nutrition Globally (SPRING) project has worked to prevent and control anemia through multi-sectoral coordination platforms to strengthen policy and programming for anemia and micronutrient deficiencies. SPRING has supported the development of policy documents to guide planning and implementation of programs at the national and district levels. In addition, SPRING supported the enforcement of industrial food fortification regulations and guided the pilot and rollout of home-based food fortification in Uganda.
This brief describes our investments and lessons learned for: 1) multi-sectoral anemia planning and coordination and 2) implementation of nutrition interventions to reduce anemia. We grounded our efforts in three main programming principles:
- Strengthen policy environment
- Improve partnerships
- Build capacity
