A farmer utilizing plastic containers to plant vegetables. Photo Credit| Fridah Bwari,Save the Children

Since August 2020, USAID Advancing Nutrition in Kenya has actively partnered with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture to enhance their technical and organizational capacity, with a focus on improving the planning, design, and implementation of meetings, workshops, and programs.

Through this collaboration, the Division of Nutrition and Dietetics (DND) successfully conducted regional forums for 14 counties within the Lake Region Economic Bloc. These forums provided DND a platform to review county performance and facilitated valuable learning sessions, enabling knowledge sharing among participants.

USAID Advancing Nutrition also supported a Training of Trainers program on healthy diets and physical activity in Kakamega and Kisumu counties. The program equipped local trainers with the necessary skills to promote healthy lifestyles within their communities.

The partnership between USAID Advancing Nutrition and the Kenyan ministries resulted in significant achievements that included the review and identification of common nutrition indicators for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, thereby strengthening accountability in the nutrition sector.

The project also supported the Ministry of Health, Division of Nutrition, and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to undertake a curriculum review that included updated learning content.  The content was for the competency-based curriculum for grades 10-12, focusing on nutrition, agriculture, physical education, and topics within these subjects.

In partnership with key nutrition stakeholders, USAID Advancing Nutrition conducted critical reviews of the Kenya Nutrition Capacity Development Framework 2014-2019 and the Midterm Review of the Kenya Nutrition Action Plan 2018-2022. Both documents are important policies guiding nutrition implementation in Kenya.

The partnership emphasizes a shared commitment to addressing nutrition challenges and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. By enhancing technical capacity and collaboration, USAID Advancing Nutrition and the Kenyan ministries aim to improve the well-being and nutritional status of communities across the country.