In light of the Second National Nutrition Action Plan (2016-2025) approved by the Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC), separate committees have been formed for the coordination of nutrition activities at district and upazila levels. The 18-member Upazila Nutrition Coordinating Committee (UNCC) is tasked with planning, implementing, coordinating and evaluating all health and nutrition-related activities in upazila level in line with the national nutrition action plan.
Recently, Prosperity has been nominated to represent in the UNCC in 10 upazilas. Inclusion process for the rest of the partner organisations in the UNCC in other Prosperity upazilas is underway.
The representation in the UNCC creates the opportunity for the programme to contribute to the implementation of the government’s nutrition activities at upazila level through direct participation. The programme can also play a role in the implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of nutrition activities at the field level in light of the National Nutrition Action Plan.
In addition, it allows the programme to play a supportive role in the extension of and awareness-raising on nutrition information, formulating nutrition development plans, observing nutrition week and implementing activities formulated by the BNNC at the field level.
‘Prosperity programme’s efforts in the community are now valued by the UNCC committee members due to our active participation in the UNCC meetings and activities. Representing Prosperity in this committee is also conducive to implementing our planned activities in the community, for example getting the growth monitoring card for the eligible extreme poor households,’ said Saidur Rahman, Technical Officer (Nutrition) of Unnayan, an implementing partner organisation in Satkhira.
As a representative of this committee, the partner organisation gets the opportunity to increase access to government nutrition and healthcare for its extreme poor participants. It also creates the opportunity to provide the necessary manpower, materials and medicines in the local healthcare centres for the extremely poor, regular inspection by the government service centre officials during the ongoing nutrition and health activities in the working areas and provide assistance through the Prosperity’s nutrition-related technical manpower in the government-run nutrition and health activities.
Prosperity expects that the active participation in the UNCC will play a key role in achieving the objectives of the programme through effective coordination with the nutrition activities, leading to higher productivity and income growth.