The Working to Improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria (WINNN) programme continues to be successful achieving most of its objectives, is well managed and year on year is improving its effectiveness and increasing its reach. This summary sheet captures the headlines on programme performance, agreed actions and learning over the course of the review period.

Summary of progress in 2015/16:

• Successfully increased attention given to nutrition at national and state levels with supportive collaboration for national nutrition initiatives, including advocating for approval of the National Food and Nutrition Policy and supporting the development of the National Nutrition Information System;
• Increased micro-nutrient etc coverage during two rounds of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) weeks with improved availability of the necessary commodities despite often late releases of government funds, security issues disrupting planned activities and the geographical remoteness of some communities that required a great effort to reach;
• Successfully scaled up the number and reach of IYCF community groups and enhanced supervision of them by trained supervisors identified for each ward in the target LGAs; started up IYCF counselling corners at the CMAM outpatient therapeutic programme centres (OTPs) and demonstrations of how to prepare nutritious complementary foods; completed a barrier study to identify what hinders women from translating messages on improved nutrition into changed behaviour and practices; and developed and implemented quality improvement initiative schemes for both the OTPs and the community IYCF groups;
• Increased the number of community volunteers (CVs) active in nutrition education for women; tracing defaulters from both the OTP-based intervention and from secondary care given at the stabilisation care centres; motivating husbands, mothers and mothers-in-law, and community and religious leaders to promote optimum IYCF practices; and identifying cases of malnourished children to be assessed for CMAM;
• Successfully developed a range of behaviour change communication materials, including musical videos and community dramas, that promote nutrition, which are at the final stage of production and will be used at a range of community gatherings in the coming months;
• Increased the uptake of effective CMAM with improved client experience;
• Supported the development of state nutrition plans in each of the five states and in two states developed agreed and costed multi-sector nutrition plans; worked to ensure all the intervention states have a functioning State Committee on Food and Nutrition (SCFN); engaged some governors and all State Houses of Assembly (SHOAs) in championing nutrition; and helped civil society organisations (CSOs) gain attention for nutrition; and
• Increased political commitment to nutrition budget lines being created in most states, with some releases by states and LGAs.

The Narrative Report to Accompany the 2016 Annual Review of the Working to Improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria (WINNN) Programme can be found here.