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Making strides towards nutrition and gender equality in Nigeria

By Lilian Okafor, CS-SUNN

In Nigeria, malnutrition not only affects individuals, but also stunts economic growth and human development. The Women and Girls’ Nutrition Project is a collaborative effort implemented by the Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), in partnership with FHI360, Alive & Thrive, 1,000 Days, and Intake, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The project aims to empower women and girls to achieve optimal nutrition and stand as crucial pillars for progress.

The project partnered with federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies relevant to nutrition to develop a cross-cutting Action Agenda for women and girls’ nutrition in Nigeria that delivers healthy diets, care, gender equality, and a multi-system enabling environment as priorities for a thriving female from girlhood. These include:

  • Support the nutrition department of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to develop national guidelines on women and girls’ empowerment for optimal nutrition by September 2024.
  • Secure commitments of Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) relevant to nutrition (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Development, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) to increase the number of women in decision-making positions by at least 10% by 2024.
  • Increase gender equity in the access and utilization of public economic empowerment schemes by at least 10% nationally by 2024.
  • Increase awareness of professionals at the federal level, who have the potential to become champions, on the benefits of girls staying in school beyond basic education and the impact on nutrition outcomes.

Milestones Achieved:

The journey towards this transformative vision has been marked by a series of significant milestones:

  • National Workshop on Women and Girls Nutrition: Leveraging momentum towards the pursuit of gender-inclusive nutrition, the National Workshop on Women and Girls Nutrition proved a pivotal event, uniting stakeholders from across Nigeria in a shared mission. Over two days, a dynamic blend of in-person and online participation brought together 167 virtual attendees with 30 enthusiastic on-site participants. Through a diverse array of activities spanning presentations, group discussions, and brainstorming sessions, participants collaborated to create an advocacy goal and four strategic objectives tailored to Nigeria’s unique context. Following this workshop, the coalition then agreed crafted a comprehensive advocacy strategy delineating actionable pathways towards achieving project objectives and engaging stakeholders across key sectors.
  • National Guideline for Women and Girl’s Nutrition for Optimal Nutrition: CS-SUNN successfully achieved the primary objective of the Women Nutrition Project by supporting the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to develop a National Guideline on Women and Girls’ Empowerment for Optimal Nutrition. This involved convening a crucial gathering of nutrition stakeholders, including government ministries, agencies, and partners, to review and shape the guidelines content and framework. The resulting guideline, spanning six key sections, addresses critical aspects of empowerment principles, program initiatives, policies, coordination mechanisms, and implementation strategies. The Guidelines were recently validated and has been adopted by the  key stakeholders including the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, representing a key step towards empowering women and girls nationwide. It will be launched before the end of 2024.
  • Women In Power Conference: In May, the coalition hosted the Women in Power Conference for Nutrition, convening women from various spheres of society, including governor’s wives and accomplished professionals. The conference served as a platform to spotlight the pivotal roles women play in driving advancements in women and girls’ nutrition at the state level. Encouragingly, there is strong enthusiasm to establish this conference as an annual fixture in Nigeria, serving as a forum to evaluate the progress and commitments made by governor’s wives in advancing the nutrition agenda.
Governors’ Wives at the maiden Women in Power Conference for Nutrition
  • Media Engagement: Leveraging the power of media, CS-SUNN organized media roundtable sessions to raise awareness, secure media support, and promote discussion on policy actions required on women and girls’ nutrition. The events garnered extensive coverage across prominent media, amplifying the discourse on this critical issue. With series of social media campaigns like; Women and Girl’s Nutrition: Why it Matters, gender equity in accessing public economic empowerment schemes, alongside the importance of girl-child education beyond basic schooling, CS-SUNN elevated awareness and advocacies for empowering women. Collaborating with partners such as Bridge Connect, wcyheIN, and Womenadvocate and leveraging visually appealing social cards and hashtags like #NutritionTuesday, #Nutri4Women, and #Nutri4Girls, trackable metrics underscored the campaigns’ impact, with significant reach and engagement rates observed across platforms.
Media roundtable hosted by CS-SUNN
  • Community Empowerment: Recognizing the importance of grassroots engagement, community town hall meetings were conducted to mobilize support from and empower local leaders. These interactions fostered commitments by community leaders to set up committees headed by cabinet members to sensitize households within their communities on the need to empower women and the girl child through access to quality education and livelihood support.

Looking Ahead

The Women and Girls’ Nutrition Project stands as a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and determination. Building on the momentum generated, the project will drive lasting change by: addressing cultural barriers through community involvement; educating mothers on the importance of girl-child education; introducing media study circles to deepen media coverage on women’s nutrition; and shifting an advocacy focus to implementation, ensuring that advocacy efforts translate into tangible policy changes and action.

Through concerted efforts and unwavering commitment, we move closer to a future where every woman and girl in Nigeria has the opportunity to thrive and to contribute to a healthier, more prosperous nation.

1,000 Days Statement on Increased U.S. Infant Mortality Rates

At 1,000 Days, we are deeply concerned by the recent CDC data revealing an increase in infant mortality in the United States for the first time in two decades. Our nation has one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates of any wealthy country. This disheartening increase is a stark reminder of the urgent need for collective action to address the critical challenges facing maternal and child health in the United States.

The CDC found that the overall infant mortality rate increased by 3% with significant increases for mothers aged 25-29. Mortality rates also climbed for preterm babies, male infants, and for infants born in Georgia, Iowa, Missouri and Texas. The data also shows a deepening divide along racial and ethnic lines with infant mortality rates for American Indian or Alaska Native women increasing by over 20%, from 7.4 deaths to over 9 deaths per 1,000 births, while rates for White women increased by about 3% from 4.36 deaths to 4.52 deaths per 1,000 births. Infant mortality rates for infants of Black women did not drastically increase but they continue to experience the highest overall rates of mortality with nearly 11 deaths per 1,000 births, or over double the mortality rate of White infants. The significant disparities in infant mortality rates among different racial groups highlight the pervasive impact of systemic inequities on health outcomes.

1,000 Days remains dedicated to our mission of making the health and well-being of women and children in the first 1,000 days, from pregnancy to two years of age, a policy and funding priority. We call on Congress to continue investing in maternal and child health and services, recognizing that it is critical during the 1,000-day window to deliver nutrition and support for women and infants. Access to proper nutrition and comprehensive maternal health services is a right for all women and families, and it is imperative to ensure that no one is left behind. Strong policies and investments in this critical window are not only about saving lives today but also about nurturing healthier generations.

A strong start in life is every child’s right, and we are committed to working alongside partners, communities, and policymakers to create a world where all children can thrive. The CDC’s findings reinforce the urgency of our mission, and we stand ready to collaborate and advocate for the changes needed to ensure better outcomes for everyone.

Together, we can strive for a future where infant mortality is a rare and unacceptable tragedy. Join us in making a difference and securing a brighter future for the next generation.

For more insights and information, please visit the CDC report here.

1,000 Days Statement on Senate Finance Committee Paid Leave Hearing

Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing on Paid Leave

This week, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on paid leave, highlighting the critical need for family and medical paid leave and how our current patchwork of paid leave policies falls short of supporting all infants and families. It also confirmed the importance of paid leave for workers, businesses, and the country.

While there have been some gains in paid family leave over the past five years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that only about 1 in 4 employees (27 percent) in the private sector workforce have access to paid family leave. Access to paid family leave is lower among those receiving lower wages or working part-time. People of color also have less access to paid family leave than their white counterparts.

This lack of paid family leave means parents are often forced to choose between taking time off from work to care for their young children and earning the income they need to support their families. It means that 1 in 4 women in America return to work just 2 weeks after giving birth, putting their health and that of their infant at risk. Policies that enable parents to spend time nurturing and caring for their babies—particularly in the early weeks after birth and for babies that are born pre-term, low birthweight or with illness—are critical to the healthy cognitive, social, and emotional development of children.

We applaud state, local and business-level efforts to increase access to paid family leave, but it is not enough to address this public health crisis. We need a national paid family and medical leave program that is comprehensive and covers all workers, including small business employees and the self-employed. Paid leave is the biggest obstacle to working women in the U.S. in the 1,000-day window and can reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. Our 2020 qualitative paid leave report highlights real stories from families without access to paid leave and the detrimental impacts it had on their family, including their health and the health of their baby.

We appreciate the Senate Finance Committee’s thoughtful attention to this issue. We call on Congress to take the next step, moving legislation to enact a comprehensive national paid leave policy that supports mothers and families and ensures children get the strongest start to life.

Building Momentum for Nutrition

Nutrition affects every aspect of human development: from children’s performance in school, to our ability to fight off diseases, to a nation’s health, and economic advancement.

The 2021 Lancet Series on Maternal and Child Undernutrition Progress builds on previous research and provides an evidence-based agenda for how the global health and development community can improve the health and nutrition of today’s generation and all the generations ahead. The 2021 Lancet Series on nutrition presents updated information and builds on the 2008 and 2013 Lancet Series to set forth an evidence-based, global agenda for tackling undernutrition.

Read More

These critical 1,000 days lay the foundation for all the days that follow. How mothers and children are nourished and cared for during this time profoundly impacts a child’s physical growth, cognitive development, and lifelong health. Improving women’s and girls’ diets, access to nutrition services, and nutrition counseling – before and during pregnancy and while breastfeeding – are critical to preventing malnutrition among families and communities everywhere.

Advocating for Nutrition, Maternal and Child Health Funding

From left to right: Dorothy Monza (RESULTS), Stephanie Hodges (1,000 Days), Andrew McNamee (Food for the Hungry), John Goetz (Legislative Correspondent for Sen. Tim Scott), Daren Caughron (Bread for the World)

Each year, there is an appropriations process that determines the budget for the federal government and the programs that it carries out. The President releases a budget, which provides insight into an administration’s priority, but ultimately, it is up to Congress to draft and pass the budget for the federal government each fiscal year. 1,000 Days, an initiative of FHI Solutions, raises awareness of this process and engages every year to advocate for robust funding to support and promote maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition.

In partnership with the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Roundtable (MNCH RT), and representing the 1,000 Days Advocacy Working Group (AWG), 1,000 Days led and attended Hill meetings in both the House and Senate to advocate for funding increases for the Maternal and Child Health Account and the Nutrition account within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We conducted nearly 40 meetings and secured sign-ons to Dear Colleague letters from Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate supporting these funding increases.

In FY23, the nutrition account was funded at $160 million, and the maternal and child health account (MCH) was funded at $910 million. To address the malnutrition crisis and to meet the moment of increased health and nutrition needs, our International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) community is requesting $1.15 billion for the MCH account, which includes $340 million for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and $300 million for the nutrition account within USAID. 

These additional investments can help close the food and nutrition insecurity gaps and pick up the pace on progress toward ending malnutrition which has slowed over the past 12 years. In 2021, 5 million children under age five died from mainly preventable and treatable diseases, with malnutrition as the underlying cause of roughly half of these deaths. Additionally, 300,000 women die annually of preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. 

The Nutrition account within USAID supports nutrition programs for women and children, focusing on the 1,000-day window, the time between pregnancy and a child’s second birthday. It is crucial to reach children and their caregivers early in life with interventions like breastfeeding support and vitamin A supplementation to prevent malnutrition. When children are malnourished, early detection and access to therapeutic foods can save lives. Severely malnourished children are much more likely to have weakened immune systems and are at risk of permanent physical and mental stunting, which prevents them from reaching their full educational, social, and earning potential. Malnutrition costs the world $3.5 trillion in lost productivity and healthcare costs each year. The current global food crisis, fueled by conflict, climate shocks and the threat of a global recession, continues to threaten the lives of women and children globally. Full funding of the nutrition account is critical for saving lives and reaching USAID’s goal of ending preventable child and maternal deaths.

As Congress establishes budget levels for FY24, we urge them to include the increased funding levels for USAID and we will continue to advocate for these funding increases. If investments are not made in preventing and treating malnutrition and improving maternal and child health, we will continue to see backsliding of the progress made and lives lost. Now is the time to act to ensure mothers and children have the health and nutrition supports they need within the first 1,000 days and beyond.

 

Lifting Up the Powerful Role of Nutrition for Policymakers and Advocates

Good nutrition before, during, and after pregnancy has a profound impact on the health of both a mother and child. This National Nutrition Month (NNM), and as part of our global #March4Nutrition campaign, 1,000 Days is highlighting some of the nutrition-related regulations and legislation that we support to ensure every child can grow, learn, and thrive. Much of this legislation also shapes the future for mothers, pregnant, birthing and postpartum people. This Spring, we are focused on advocating for regulatory updates, legislation that supports nutrition for families here in the U.S. and around the world, and additional funding to support all these programs. This year’s NNM theme of “Fuel for the Future” highlights the importance of ensuring families are well nourished to support healthy futures.

Updated Regulations for Maternal & Child Nutrition

WIC Food Package Updates

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed several regulatory changes to strengthen nutrition programs and improve maternal and child nutrition. The agency is currently updating the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food packages, that would impact over 6 million WIC participants which include moms, babies, and young children. The updates, which are science-based and align with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the 2017 National Academies (NASEM) report, increase fruit and vegetable vouchers, promote greater flexibility to accommodate cultural food preferences and dietary needs, strengthen support for breastfeeding, and increase access to under-consumed, nutritious foods, like seafood with lower levels of methylmercury.

Child Nutrition Program Updates

USDA also proposed updated nutrition standards to school meals that would more closely align the standards recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to provide children with nutritious and delicious meals. The proposed updates do include some changes to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which serves young children, including those in their 1,000-day window, at childcare. Changes in the CACFP program would support more nutritious meals and snacks by reducing added sugar content and allowing more plant-based meat/meat alternate options.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans

While not specific legislation or regulations, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) form the basis of nutrition policy in the U.S. and are a critical component of improving maternal and child nutrition. Co-developed every five years by USDA and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), the basis of the guidelines is a science-based report developed by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee (DGAC) which includes nutrition researchers, physicians, and Registered Dietitians. The DGAs have a broad impact ranging from WIC food packages and child nutrition programs to food labeling and nutrition education programs. The guidelines include dietary recommendations for pregnant and lactating people and birth to age 2, which were included for the first time in the 2020-2025 DGA. The next iteration of the guidelines is currently underway as the DGAC is reviewing evidence and drafting conclusion statements which will ultimately lead to dietary recommendations and guidelines for Americans, including mothers, babies, and young children.

2023 Farm Bill

Every five years, Congress reauthorizes the Farm Bill which is a robust, multiyear law that authorizes food and agricultural programs. Although the name may imply that most of the bill is focused on farming and agriculture, nutrition spending makes up an overwhelming majority of the legislation. In 2018, the nutrition title (Title IV) made up about 76% of total Farm Bill spending, and for the 2023 Farm Bill, it is projected to be as much as 85%. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as “food stamps,” is authorized in the Farm Bill which is the reason for the large amount of spending for nutrition in the bill. When children have access to SNAP, from birth through early childhood, their risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and other poor health outcomes later in life greatly decreases. Children on SNAP can immediately experience a reduction in food insecurity. As Congress works to reauthorize the 2023 Farm Bill, it is imperative that they ensure families have access to the food and nutrition assistance they need through SNAP benefits as nearly half of all people who participate in SNAP are children.

In addition to domestic nutrition programs, the Farm Bill also reauthorizes international food aid programs in Title III. These programs include Food for Peace Title II, the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program, Food for Progress, and the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust. These programs are primarily focused on improving food security. As Congress works to reauthorize the 2023 Farm Bill, we urge them to further consider how the programs can incorporate nutrition interventions to address both food and nutrition insecurity and prevent malnutrition. Robust funding will be needed to address the current malnutrition crisis and to build resilience in communities globally.

Implementation of the Global Malnutrition Prevention & Treatment Act

In October 2022, the Global Malnutrition Prevention & Treatment Act (GMPTA) was signed into law to bolster the federal government’s efforts to address global malnutrition and build resilience. It authorizes the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to advance targeted interventions to prevent and treat malnutrition around the world while requiring a robust monitoring of interventions to ensure effective use of funding. As USAID works to draft the implementation plan and coordinate efforts, we look forward to working alongside them to ensure all activities address the nutritional needs of families in their first 1,000 days.

Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations

Addressing nutrition security in the U.S. remains a critical need. 1,000 Days joins the National WIC Association and the broader maternal and child health community in urging funding of $6.35 billion for WIC in FY 2024. This amount will ensure adequate funding to support WIC’s growing caseload and address rising food costs in WIC food categories. We also support increased funding to strengthen FDA’s food safety and nutrition capacity, especially for infants and young children.

While reductions in global mortality rates for women and children are two of the biggest success stories in international development, progress has slowed over the past 12 years. There remain significant gaps that additional investments can help close. In 2021, 5 million children under age five died from mainly preventable and treatable diseases, with malnutrition as the underlying cause of roughly half of these deaths. Additionally, 300,000 women die annually of preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. 

As Congress determines funding levels for FY2024, it is critical that funding meets the moment to address the malnutrition crisis. 1,000 Days as part of the 1,000 Days Advocacy Working Group (AWG) and the Maternal, Newborn, Child Health Roundtable (MNCH RT), is requesting $300 million for the nutrition account and $1.15 billion for the maternal and child health (MCH) account within USAID. Malnutrition costs the world $3.5 trillion in lost productivity and healthcare costs each year. The current global food crisis, fueled by conflict, climate shocks and the threat of a global recession, continues to threaten the lives of women and children globally. Full funding of the nutrition account is critical for saving lives and reaching USAID’s goal of ending preventable child and maternal deaths.

President’s FY2024 Budget Meets the Moment for U.S. Families, Misses the Mark for Foreign Investments in Nutrition

The Biden Administration’s FY 2024 budget proposal includes significant funding for several of 1,000 Days’ domestic key policy priorities. The proposal reflects priorities of the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health and opportunities identified in the American Journal of Public Health series to unlock the untapped potential of this critical time by closing data gaps, enhancing promising programs, strengthening policies and uniting around this powerful window of growth. It includes:

  • $6.3 billion to fully fund the 6.5 million individuals expected to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
  • $325 million to establish a national, comprehensive paid family and medical leave program plus $10 million to help states expand access to paid leave benefits, including creation of a Technical Assistance Hub to share best practices among states.
  • $471 million to support implementation of the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis to strengthen maternal health initiatives. Additionally, the budget requires all states to provide continuous Medicaid coverage for 12 months postpartum, eliminating gaps in health insurance at a critical time.
  • Increased funding for early care and education programs to increase childcare options for more than 16 million young children and lower costs so that parents can afford to send their children to high-quality child care.

While we celebrate increases across domestic nutrition programs, the proposals for global programs missed the mark. We welcome the topline increases for the State Department and USAID, but the Administration’s proposal to provide no increases to current investments in global nutrition and maternal & child health fall short in addressing growing the need. This past week, a report released from UNICEF shed light on how dire the malnutrition crisis is, particularly among adolescent girls and women. The number of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers suffering from acute malnutrition has soared from 5.5 million to 6.9 million – or 25 percent – since 2020 in 12 countries hardest hit by the global food and nutrition crisis. Ensuring children have access to good nutrition when it matters most is one of the most powerful and cost-effective ways to create brighter, healthier futures.

As rates of hunger and malnutrition continue to climb around the globe, it was disappointing to see that Global Health accounts within the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) budget for the Nutrition and Maternal & Child Health (MCH) did not receive funding increases in the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget. Within the proposal, the nutrition account is flat funded at $160 million and the MCH account is flat funded at $910 million. The NGO community has called for no less than $300 million for the nutrition account and $1.15 billion for the MCH account. The released budget is world’s apart from these needs-based community asks to address the ongoing health and nutrition crisis.

Ultimately, these funding levels will be decided by Congress and we urge Congress to fund State and Foreign Operations accounts at a level that meets the moment, including $300 million for the Global Health Nutrition account, $1.15 billion for the Maternal and Child Health account.

Our favorite time of year: #March4Nutrition

Our favorite time of year: #March4Nutrition

We’re thrilled to celebrate the 50th anniversary of National Nutrition Month in March 2023. Developed by our friends and colleagues at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, every March we work especially to amplify the importance of nutrition for families in the first 1,000 days: the time between pregnancy and a baby’s second birthday.

Throughout pregnancy, infancy and beyond, families need good nutrition, breastfeeding support, and nurturing care in order to thrive. Backed by decades of research and most recently the American Journal of Public Health’s special nutrition series, we know nutrition plays a foundational role in a child’s development and her country’s ability to prosper.

We invite you to follow #March4Nutrition on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all month long and join the conversation. Every week in March, we’ll dive deep into a new theme and explore how nutrition lays the foundation for brighter, healthier futures.

Week 1 March 1-10: Women’s nutrition – Access to proper nutrition can help women grow their power.

Week 2 March 13-17: Benefits of breastfeeding – Breastfeeding has critical benefits for both moms and babies.

Week 3 March 20-24: Healthy foods and drinks for babies and toddlers – Growing babies need good nutrition to flourish.

Week 4 March 27-31: Raise your voices – Help us spark action to change the world for moms, babies and families, 1,000 days at a time.

At 1,000 Days, we believe that every family, everywhere deserves the opportunity to have a healthy 1,000-day window and beyond – and that starts with access to good nutrition.

Join us this month as we #March4Nutrition for moms and babies!

New Research Highlights Critical Need for Strong Policies to Leverage the Value of Breastfeeding

February 9, 2023

Dear Members of the 118th Congress,

As leaders advocating for healthy families and children, 1,000 Days and the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee invite you to join us in creating a landscape of breastfeeding support across the United States.

Breast milk is recognized as the optimal food for babies and plays a critical role in their growth and development.[i] Numerous studies have shown that breastfeeding promotes healthy cognitive and social-emotional development.[ii] It also saves lives by helping to protect babies from infections and conditions such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).[iii] Breastfeeding even lowers a child’s risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life. In addition, women who breastfed reduce their risk of specific chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and breast and ovarian cancers.[iv]

Unfortunately, the U.S. has many barriers to establishing and maintaining breastfeeding. While four out of five babies born in the United States start out being breastfed, about half are still doing so at six months.[v] This is not due to capacity or wishes of the parent, but rather because environments in the U.S. do not support breastfeeding.

Our country’s policies, systems, and environments must be improved to make breastfeeding a realistic option for all families. New research released this week highlights the critical need for strong policies to fully leverage the value of breastfeeding.

  • Breastfeeding rates can be rapidly improved by scaling up known interventions, policies, and programs in the workplace and health system.
  • Infant formula companies utilize intrusive marketing strategies to families, health care providers, and policy makers to portray these products as solutions to common infant health issues in ways that systematically undermine breastfeeding and prey on parental concerns.
  • Policy changes are needed to address the power imbalances and political and economic structures that influence feeding practices and health outcomes.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the infant formula crisis, it is critical that you and your colleagues in the House and Senate take action to address infant nutrition security, including through support for breastfeeding.

As you know, changing environments and systems requires everyone do their part – parents, policymakers, health facilities, communities, and employers. As a Member of Congress, you have an incredible opportunity to create the policy changes families need. Together, we can build on the momentum from recent advancements like the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act to build a robust infrastructure for infant nutrition security.

Breastfeeding has such a profound impact on population health outcomes that increasing breastfeeding rates and creating lactation-friendly environments have been identified as critical public health priorities in the U.S. as well as across the world. Breastfeeding is included in a variety of national initiatives, including the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Healthy People 2030, The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, and more.

It is time to move from reports and vision statements, to taking action on the policy priorities that families deserve. We hope you will take the time to explore the new Lancet series on breastfeeding and join us as we work to build a country where infant nutrition security and breastfeeding is valued, protected, promoted, and supported.

Sincerely,

Amelia Psmythe Seger,
U.S. Breastfeeding Committee		 Blythe Thomas,
1,000 Days

 

About 1,000 Days

An Initiative of FHI Solutions, 1,000 Days is the leading non-profit organization working in the U.S. and around the world to ensure women and children have the healthiest first 1,000 days. Our mission is to make the well-being of women and children in the first 1,000 days a policy and funding priority. We are passionate about turning evidence into action and use our deep understanding of the science and the issues to help shape policies that improve the lives of moms and babies in the U.S. and throughout the world.

About the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee

The mission of the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) is to drive collaborative efforts for policy and practices that create a landscape of breastfeeding support across the United States. USBC functions as a national coalition of 100+ organizational members representing nonprofits, breastfeeding coalitions, federal agencies, and businesses working at national, state/territorial, tribal, local, and community levels to protect, promote, and support human milk feeding. The USBC uses an equity-centered collective impact approach to facilitate multisectoral collaborations.

 

[i] Breastfeeding. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/nutrition/topics/exclusive_breastfeeding/en/index.html.  Published Aug. 2018. Accessed February 6, 2023.

[ii] Nutrition in the First 1,000 Days: A Foundation for Brain Development and Learning, 1,000 Days and Think Babies. https://thousanddays.org/wp-content/uploads/1000Days-Nutrition_Brief_Brain-Think_Babies_FINAL.pdf. Accessed February 4, 2023.

[iii] Breastfeeding Benefits Both Baby and Mom. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/features/breastfeeding-benefits/index.html. Published July 27, 2021. Accessed February 6, 2023.

[iv] Making the decision to breastfeed | womenshealth.gov. womenshealth.gov. https://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/making-decision-breastfeed/#1. Published 2020. Accessed December 20, 2022.

[v] Breastfeeding Report Card, United States 2022. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/reportcard.htm. Published August 31, 2022. Accessed February 8, 2023.

The Nutrition Year of Action in Review: 5 Things that Give Us Hope

It’s easy to be pessimistic about the current state of global nutrition. Malnutrition still kills more kids in an average year than the population of Chicago, and leaves millions more with permanently stunted brain development and life-long health problems. COVID-related disruptions to food and health systems have exacerbated these numbers, with experts predicting that by the end of 2022 we’ll see an additional 13.6 million cases of wasting, the most deadly type of malnutrition. To top it all off, experts are now saying that we’ve been underestimating how much it will cost to reach our global nutrition targets, and that with the additional demand from the pandemic we now need to mobilize at least $10.8 billion every year just to stay on track.

On December 8, the 3rd Nutrition for Growth Summit wrapped up the 2021 Nutrition Year of Action, a pledging event that could not have come at a more urgent time. And despite all the challenges ahead, we want to take a moment to celebrate some of the things that give us hope as we conclude the Nutrition Year of Action and move into 2022. Here are our top five:

  1. Breadth and depth of high-burden country commitments

As N4G hosts, the Government of Japan created an inclusive environment that helped encourage and support governments to prepare bold commitments to accelerate progress on the nutritional issues in their countries. This support helped facilitate new commitments from 70 countries with a high burden of malnutrition. Commitments ranged from financial, policy, programmatic, and impact to cut across the five themes of the Summit: Health, Food, Resiliency, Financing, Data/Accountability. This is great news, in part because steadily increasing domestic resource mobilization is a key component of nutrition financing models toward the WHA targets. We are hopeful that the large number of new commitments from high-burden countries will help offset the rising cost of these interventions.

  1. New vehicles for innovative financing

Donors are increasingly turning to innovative financing mechanisms to fill funding gaps and leverage new funding streams. One great example is the Nutrition Match Fund launched this year by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The fund helps to mobilize domestic resources for nutrition by providing a 1-to-1 match for any money governments spend on essential tools to combat undernutrition such as purchasing ready-to-use therapeutic foods to treat wasting. The fund has unlocked nearly $4 million of incremental domestic resources, and is already attracting additional donor investment. We are hopeful that advancements like this one in nutrition supply financing will help prevent supply chain disruptions and offer one solution for the low coverage rates of many nutrition interventions.

  1. Progress on UN wasting treatment reform

An update to the UN’s wasting management protocols has been a long time coming. The reform process began in 2020 with the launch of the Global Action Plan (GAP) on Child Wasting. Though the GAP fell short of expectations in many ways, we are heartened by the steps the UN has taken to advance this work in 2021, including releasing operational country roadmaps for the GAP. Another step forward is the WHO and UNICEF’s ongoing evidence review to update global and national guidelines on wasting treatment. This review will reflect the growing evidence that there are simpler, cheaper, and more efficient ways to detect and treat wasting to open the door for reaching more children.

  1. Nutrition accountability at the forefront

One of the major outcomes from the 2021 Nutrition Year of Action is the launch of the Global Nutrition Report’s (GNR) Nutrition Accountability Framework (NAF). The NAF is the world’s first comprehensive accountability platform for nutrition, helping to ensure all commitment-makers put their promises into tangible action. Commitments must be SMART and align with national nutrition plans. The platform inspires bold and measurable commitments that drive progress on nutrition. At 1,000 Days, we believe holding ourselves and our leaders accountable is a crucial component of scaling evidence-based nutrition interventions.

  1. Renewed US leadership in the global nutrition space

In 2019 – the lead-up to the original 2020 N4G dates – the US was pulling back from international obligations and seemed unlikely to make any sort of substantial commitment at N4G. By December 2021, the US has not only publicly committed up to $11 billion over three years to combat global malnutrition, but sent USAID Administrator Power to make the announcement. The commitment builds on the Biden Administration’s repeated nods to the importance of good nutrition, especially in the wake of the pandemic. Though it is still unclear how the US will fulfill its financial commitment and how much (if any) of the $11 billion is new money, US commitments throughout the Nutrition Year of Action signal its plans to remain at the forefront of the fight against global malnutrition. As the sector’s largest donor, and in the face of a notable lack of commitment from the UK, US leadership will be a key component of any successful nutrition effort. As advocates continue to socialize the Nourish the Future proposal in 2022, the Administration’s demonstrated commitment to global nutrition is a welcome signal for more to come.

On top of these successes, we saw a host of other positive developments for nutrition, such as the addition of multiple micronutrients to the WHO Essential Medicines List, a growing adoption of the new OECD DAC nutrition policy marker, and the recent release of the Global Financing Facility’s Nutrition Roadmap. Ultimately, Summit participants from around the world pledged over $27 billion toward global nutrition at a time when donor fatigue is high and every country in the world is facing outsized domestic challenges. 2021 was a year of setbacks in our fight against malnutrition, but the new tools and resources coming out of the Nutrition Year of Action give us hope that the state of global nutrition will look better in 2022 and beyond.