Improving the nutritional status of children under 5 years and pregnant and lactating women through treatment and empowerment of communities in hard to reach areas of Ayod County

With the beginning of the conflict, our field staffs had to leave the area and flew the violence for their safety. Only on May 13th, when we managed to reach Jiech in Ayod County, we coud meet the team and the beneficiaries from Ayod Payam who had found refugee there. The Community of Kuachdeng was also reported to have relocated to Jiech, Mogok, Canal, and Gorwai. Ayod County has been splitted into two authorities (SPLA and SPLA-IO), making access a delicate balance to reach the most needy children and women. COSV has managed to get approvals and resumed operations and deliveries of essential supplies in Northern Ayod (Jiech, Pagil and Menime) by flight, as the facilities are the only ones near a recently used airstrip that are accessible. However, Ayod county is still volatile and experiencing skirmishes in southern area.
 
Population movement within this period of violence had been high with others being displaced twice or more times.
Malnutrition was a critical situation: the level of acute malnutrition [GAM: 19.4%, SAM: 5.4%] was above the WHO emergency threshold level. Jiech was experiencing a worsening malnutrition rate (SAM of 17%).
 
Our intervention aim at supporting emergency response to nutrition related emergencies among the people of Ayod County. The specific objective of the intervention will ensure access to preventive and therapeutic services for malnutrition in children U5 years, Pregnant & Lactating Women (PLW), and other vulnerable groups including people affected with HIV, TB, KZ & other chronic illnesses in IDP concentration points of Ayod county.
 
In pursuing that overall and specific objective, we deploy a coordinated strategy divided in 3 points:
 
1. Re-establish and support TSFP/OTP sites in the operational lower health centers (PHCUs)
 
2. Prevention of malnutrition and Promotion of IYCF (Infant and young child feeding) principles and practices
 
3. Conducting rapid nutrition assessment in IDP concentration areas to inform , monitor and evaluate the existing interventions