Delegations from 9 SUN Civil Society Alliances participated in a learning route in Rwanda from October 31st to November 5th, 2016. The learning route featured case studies of successful nutrition initiatives and methodological sessions to enhance the capacities of civil society alliances. Key learnings included setting up multi-stakeholder platforms at decentralized levels, using behavior change communication through media, and the commitment of the Rwandan government to nutrition. Participants developed innovation plans to apply new knowledge in their countries and established a regional call to action to coordinate nutrition plans, allocate resources, and ensure community engagement.

1. Leveraging Learning
among Scaling Up
Nutrition Civil Society
Alliances
The Learning Route in Rwanda
31 October - 5 November 2016

2. 2
Delegations from 9 SUN Civil Society Alliances: Ethiopia;
Kenya; Malawi; Rwanda; Sierra Leone; Nigeria; Tanzania;
Uganda; Zimbabwe.
Supporting: SUN CSN, SUN SMS, Rwanda Government,
SUN UN, CIFF, Rwanda communities, and small, medium
business sector., PROCASUR Corporation.

3. Case Study 1: Stakeholder & Action Mapping (UN Reach led)
Case Study 2: Communication for Behavioural Change: Land O’ Lakes and
URUNANA DC use of Radio Soap Opera
Case Study 3: Pro-Poor Public Private Partnership example of DUHAMIC- ADRI and
SOSOMA (fortified flour)
Case Study 4: Milk Value chain and multi stakeholders collaboration: Nyanza district
experience
Case Study 5 Integrated approach and coordination for SUN at decentralized level:
Gisagara district Experience
Methodological sessions:
• CSA knowing each other: “Experience Fair”;
• Case study analysis;
• Innovation plans development
Visibility and Advocacy sessions:
• Opening panel
• Video interviews
Rwanda Learning Route – Key learning Blocks

4. Most Significant Learnings
1. Setting up and coordination of Multi-stakeholder Platform at decentralized level
2. Intensive behaviour change communication through mass media channels to encourage
consumption of foods commonly produced
3. Multisectorial coordination action to address the deep routed causes of malnutrition.
4. The commitment of government in allocating resources and making nutrition their priority
agenda.
5. The mapping exercise to better understand the situation both at National and sub National
level
6. Signing of performance contracts for accountability
7. Decentralisation and operationalisation of nutrition interventions.
8. Political will and food and nutrition policies/programs well designed, implemented and
regularly monitored and evaluated
9. Engagement with local structures to include communities in decision making process on
nutrition related activities
10. Strengthen district nutritional steering committees and trickle down into forming ward and
village nutrition steering committees so as to ease reaching households.
11. Political will, policies and programs designed, implemented, monitored and evaluated with
civic participation at all level.
12. Social Business Project
Read the LR
participants’
evaluations

5. 40%
56%
4%
Main objective: To enhance capacities of SUN Alliances to
effectively contribute to multistakeholder platforms,
promoting cascade capacity strengthening of their Alliance
members.

6. 32%
68%
Specific Objective 1: To identify innovative and successful
initiatives promoted by SUN Alliances’ members to scale
up nutrition at community, provincial and/or national level,
understand the process and the factors that lead to the
success

7. 20%
64%
16%
Specific Objective 2: To recognize modalities through which
Civil Society enhances national and local policies and
strategies to effectively address nutrition problems with a
special focus to ensuring the inclusion of vulnerable and
disadvantaged populati

8. 28%
60%
12%
Specific Objective 3: Identify effective social mobilization
and communication strategies to raise awareness on
nutrition-sensitive issues and to promote behavioral
changes

9. 37%
63%
Specific Objective 4: To identify the catalytic role played by
the Civil Society in bringing together multi-sectorial
partners, engaging with the public and the private sector,
fostering sustainable and appropriate partnerships that are
pro-poor and enabl

10. Achievements, path toward
impact
• Participants evaluation
• Regional call to action and regional hub (soft) kick off via whatsapp
and first call/concept note…
• Innovation plans submitted by the 9 country delegations to put in
practice new learnings (innovation plans available here)
• Collaboration among SUN Networks (before, during, after)
• Strong involvement and commitment of policy makers (Rwanda)
• Mobilization of more than 200 stakeholders in Rwanda during
preparation and implementation, increase their interest and
commitment into SUN. Mobilization/engagement of 9 CSAs before
the LR and after
• Benefits for country host: visibility, funding, governance and
coordination strengthening (listen to the interviews)

11. Regional Call to Action
• Co-ordinate Nutrition Plans: Position nutrition at the highest level of government and
bring together stakeholders from across government, the private sector, civil society, donor
and UN networks to develop coordinated and costed nutrition plans both at a national and
subnational level.
• Resource Allocation: Ensure national nutrition plans are fully funded. Spending on
nutrition should be prioritised and national budgets must include specific nutrition budget
lines to turn plans from a piece of paper into a reality. Key to this is the timely release and
proper utilisation of funds.
• Community engagement and accountability: Ensure nutrition interventions are
transparent and involve the communities most affected by malnutrition. Nutrition plans must
reflect the realities of communities, respect communities as implementation partners and
enable communities to track progress and hold governments accountable to their
commitments.
• Call to Action during the LR Opening Event (video)

12. Country Innovation Plan Title
Ethiopia Nutrition Visibility and awareness through the media
Nigeria Improving Nutrition through Policy Implementation at all levels
Uganda Nutrition Budget line Advocacy
Tanzania Accountable District Nutrition Steering Committees for Scale Up
Nutrition in Tanzania
Zimbabwe
(not finalized)
Strengthening of Food and Nutrition Security Committees in
Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West Province
Kenya Mainstreaming nutrition as a multi-sectoral agenda in Mombasa
county
Malawi Stakeholder Mapping
Rwanda Enhancing faith based nutrition behaviour change communication
Sierra Leone Eat what you grow

13. What to improve, what to keep and
what’s next
• To develop for Asia: best practices selection & backstopping from
the SUN Steering group
• To keep: CSAs participants selection via open call for application
and the highly participative engagement (of CSAs and participants)
before, during and after the LR
• What’s next (2017):
– Innovation Plans:
• Peer to peer evaluation, Award, Post-LR webinar (main fundraising, visibility,
sharing) and Innovation Plans follow up
– Asia country host call for application
– Rwanda sub-grant to finalize the LR experience
– (A lot of) Communication material to consolidate and share
– Cascade learning follow up and country mutual support
– Good practice award and website
– SUN CSN local champions/talents strategy (feeding into the SUN SMS
but ensuring sustainable, long term approach)

14. Useful documentation
• Participants LR evaluation
• Learning Route in Africa Learning Needs
• LR in Rwanda Background report (learning route case
studies)
• Some Videos
• Participants Photos and official photos
• CSAs profiles
• SUN CSN regional call to action and video streaming
• Innovation plans submitted

15. Stay in Touch!!!!
Join the Learning Route Facebook Page or email us…
do not miss this bus
toward Innovation, Inspiration, Collaboration.
Hand in Hand with our community and our colleagues
sustaining the change.
GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SUNCSNLearningRoute/
WEBSITE: http://suncivilsocietynet.wixsite.com/learningroute/
Programme coordinator:
Cecilia Ruberto (C.Ruberto@savethechildren.org.uk)
Bye, Cecilia!!!