Tanzania has made a significant reduction in stunting among children under five years of age, from a national average of 48% in 1999 to 30% in 2022, but challenges remain. The absolute number of stunted children is increasing in some regions, and other nutritional issues such as anemia remain significant, affecting 59% of children under five years of age and 42% of women aged 15-49. Key factors contributing to malnutrition include widespread poverty, which affects about 44% of Tanzanians, lack of a diverse and quality diet, inadequate access to basic health services (including water, sanitation and hygiene), and poor feeding practices for infants and young children.
Since 2011, USAID has been actively addressing these challenges by improving household nutrition habits, enhancing cognitive and physical development, and increasing economic productivity. Targeting specific areas based on the severity of malnutrition, USAID is implementing a comprehensive nutrition strategy that combines integrated health and agriculture efforts at the country, district, and community levels. USAID’s strategy focuses on four key areas:
- Strengthen implementation capacity of governments and private social partners.
- Promoting positive social and behavioral changes in infant and toddler feeding habits.
- Strengthen access to healthy and diverse diets for mothers and children.
- Enhance the capacity of local governments to effectively use data in planning, budgeting and delivering quality nutrition services.
USAID/Tanzania’s program is closely aligned with USAID’s Global Multisectoral Nutrition Strategy and the Government of Tanzania’s National Multisectoral Nutrition Action Plan.
assignment:
– Lack of knowledge and awareness: Many communities lack sufficient information about proper nutrition, including the benefits of different foods and eating habits.
– Poor coordination: Tanzania needs stronger multi-sectoral legislation and improved coordination between government agencies, NGOs and communities to promote proper nutrition.
– Unequal access to health care: Health facilities, especially in remote areas, often lack essential nutrition services and have difficulty engaging effectively with the communities they serve.
– Lack of human resources: Program implementation and outreach are hampered by a lack of trained nutritionists, health workers and other professionals able to provide adequate nutrition services.
Influence and success:
– Between 2011 and 2017, three regions supported by USAID saw a 27% reduction in child stunting, compared to a national average of just 8%.
– From 2018 to 2023, USAID reached more than 2.4 million people through nutrition programs in Dodoma, Iringa, Rukwa, and Morogoro regions, achieving the following results:
– A 12% reduction in stunting (double the national average during the same period).
– Increase breastfeeding rates from 58% to 76%.
– Increase the percentage of women consuming minimum dietary diversity from 11 percent to 37 percent.
– USAID will help small-scale food processors fortify maize flour, develop new products, and grow a variety of foods, increasing access to nutritious foods at the household level to further alleviate malnutrition across Tanzania.
