Reducing malnutrition and Hunger in children, adolescent girls and women in DRC

The program has faced significant delays, with outcomes largely unchanged from those reported in the 2023 CoP submitted in June by the previous Program Officer. Key results to date include: Expanded Reach: GiveDirectly (GD) enrolled 5,191 recipient households in 2022, exceeding the original target of 2,700 households. Enhanced Funding Match: GD increased its funding match by $3 million, doubling the initial commitment, enabling the expansion of beneficiary coverage. Initial Progress on Cash-for-Nutrition Interventions: GD established foundational activities, such as partnerships with VIAMO for nutrition communication, geographical targeting in South Kivu, and recipient enrollment. Despite these initial successes, the program has encountered critical issues with The Power of Nutrition (TPoN): Funding Gaps: TPoN raised only $700,000, far below the agreed match, and UNICEF contributions relied on pre-programmed funds rather than new fundraising efforts, failing to meet the partnerships goal of generating additional resources. Administrative Barriers: The unexpected fund forwarding through UNICEF UK added an administrative layer, reducing visibility for Swedish government contributions, which now appear as private-sector funding. Lack of Alignment: Integration between Phase I and Phase II has not materialized as envisioned, with funds from Phase I diverted to activities in Phase II, seemingly in conflict with the agreement ammendment in 2023 (annex 5). Due to the challenges in the partnership above, there was a consideration to discontinue the partnership, however, after extensive consultations with Sidas legal and senior management, it was determined that terminating the partnership would negatively impact primary beneficiaries in South Kivu, where malnutrition remains a severe health issue. UNICEFs strong implementation on the ground further supported the decision to proceed (See, UM2022/29247/KINS-76). To address existing challenges, TPoN committed to the following actions: 1) Conducting a three-part meeting in early 2025, with senior representatives traveling to the DRC. 2) Harmonizing Phases I and II to ensure better alignment and program efficiency.

Phase I - Through cash transfers improve levels of food security and dietary diversity for household members especially children. - Through cash transfers increase household livelivehoods, incomes and resilience. Phase II - Strengthen the enabling environment for improved maternal, child and adolescent nutrition. - Improve access to high impact nutrition services for children aged 0-23 months, adolescent girls and women. - Develop and integrate early childhood development interventions into community nutrition packages. - Strengthen community engagement to improve nutrition, health and hygiene practices, demand and service utilisation as well as mote investment in the food systems approach.