Amidst Aid Cuts – Urgent call for Smarter, Stronger & Swifter solutions to Curb Malnutrition
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) joins world leaders and organisations at the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit to press for smarter nutrition financing, stronger private sector engagement and swifter actions on nutrition commitments made.
369,000 children likely to die and 2.3 million at risk due to 44% cuts in global nutrition funding
Experts warn of the devastating toll of aid cuts on malnourished children and how it will impact generations to come—not just as huge human cost—but also a huge cost to development, economic growth, and future global prosperity.
Outcome Assessment for Future Food Safety and Basic Nutrition Training of Food Vendors.
The Private Service Provider (PSP) knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) assessment was done to see how well PSPs who were trained by the CASCADE project and worked with the National Home-Grown School Feeding Program (NHGSFP) remembered and used what they learnt about basic nutrition, food safety, hygiene, and handling raw materials. The NHGSFP aims to provide daily nutritious meals to public primary school pupils using locally grown farm produce, thereby enhancing children's health, increasing school attendance, and supporting local farmers while contributing to the overall economic and social development of Nigeria. The program was suspended in January 2024 for nine weeks; however, since the suspension by the president, the program has yet to kick off, even with budgetary allocations in the 2024 and 2025 budgets. This suspension has hindered the effective application of the knowledge and skills gained during the training.Call for Applications
Join the First Cohort of Co-Innovation Partnerships for Nutrition-Sensitive Social Protection
Are you working to enhance the nutrition impacts of social protection systems?
Collaborate with global experts, peers, and innovators to develop innovative, implementation-ready solutions. We invite representatives of national or sub-national governments and development partners engaged in the design and implementation of social protection programs to apply for the first cohort of participants in the Co-Innovation Platform for Nutrition-Sensitive Social Protection.
About the Co-Innovation Platform
This platform facilitates structured co-innovation processes designed to generate high-impact solutions for improving the nutrition impacts of social protection programs in the Global South. Selected participants will be matched with co-innovation partners from around the world and engaged in an intensive 5-phase virtual/hybrid innovation journey over 6-8 months.
Each co-innovation process will be driven by a collaboratively developed Action Agenda, ensuring that each process yields innovations tailored to real-world challenges and contextual needs. By the end of the co-innovation process, participants will produce a high-fidelity, implementation-ready innovation solution that can be taken forward for further testing, fundraising, or implementation.
Want to learn more? Read the full Co-Innovation Platform Concept Note
Who Should Apply?
We welcome applications from:
- Representatives of national or sub-national governments in the Global South involved in the design and implementation of social protection programs.
- Development partners supporting social protection initiatives at country or regional levels.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants will be selected based on the following criteria:
- Demonstrated commitment to improving the nutrition impacts of their social protection system.
- Clear articulation of a challenge or opportunity with high impact potential that could benefit from structured co-innovation.
- Institutional capacity and willingness to engage in an intensive, collaborative innovation process over 6-8 months.
- Potential for scaling or implementing the innovative intervention within their social protection system.
Why Participate?
- Gain access to global experts and innovators.
- Engage in a structured, high-impact innovation process.
- Develop an implementation-ready solution tailored to your local context.
- Strategically position your social protection program for future funding, piloting, or scaling.
How to Apply
Interested applicants should submit their expression of interest by 23rd May 2025. To apply, please return the application form to [email protected] or apply using the online submission form
Join us in shaping the future of nutrition-sensitive social protection through co-innovation!
For more information or enquires related to this initiative, you may contact Dr. Anthony Wenndt, GAIN Social Protection Lead.
Anthony Wenndt
Technical Officer
United Nations embraces a healthy diet indicator towards zero hunger and malnutrition
In a significant step towards addressing malnutrition, the United Nations adopted Minimum Dietary Diversity as a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator. Globally, almost 3 billion people are unable to access and afford a healthy diet. Micronutrient deficiencies, caused in large part by inadequate diets is one of the leading factors in malnutrition globally. Poor diets also account for a global rise in non-communicable diseases and contribute significantly to premature mortality, worldwide. Despite the central importance of healthy diets, until recently, global efforts towards addressing malnutrition lacked standardised metrics to effectively track diet quality. The adoption of Minimum Dietary Diversity in the SDG framework will now give governments, policy makers and international organisations a key tool to formulate evidence-based strategies that can improve diets and help reduce malnutrition.
How women find hope in NutriBaik?
Previously, we showed how NutriBaik is changing lives through this story. Today, we talk to Ancha Monequete on why she “finds hope in NutriBaik”. Here we see how, through women the NutriBaik, women are playing their part in the functioning of food systems.
Empowering Mama Mbogas: How GAIN is Transforming Last-Mile Vegetable Vendors and Communities
As the world marks International Women’s Day 2025, we celebrate the resilience, ingenuity, and contribution of women in driving economic growth and improving household nutrition. In Kenya, one of the most visible yet often overlooked players in this space is the mama mboga (the last-mile vegetable vendor) who ensures families have access to fresh and affordable produce daily.
Buruguni Market Impact Story
This video showcases GAIN’s collaboration with Buguruni Market (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania). It illustrates the early testing of the Food Systems Governance model; highlighting the importance of i) knowing the local food system, ii) One Nutrition (nutrition, food hygiene and safety, reduced food waste), and iii) engaging multiple stakeholders to co-design and support infrastructure investments that enhance vendor livelihoods, as well as improve the quality, safety, and value of food stored, upcycled, and sold to consumers.