This document summarizes a pilot program conducted in Peru and Senegal to strengthen capacities of countries to scale up nutrition through learning routes. Key points: 1) The program brought together 40 participants from 14 countries to share experiences and lessons on nutrition coordination, decentralization, financing, and communication strategies. 2) Participants developed country action plans on strengthening local stakeholder involvement and capacities, securing local budgets, and promoting multi-sectoral coordination on nutrition issues. 3) Evaluations found the learning route improved networking and provided an effective way to build capacity to scale up nutrition, though follow through on action plans was a challenge due to limited budgets.

1. Strengthening the capacities of SUN
Countries to Scale Up Nutrition
through Learning Routes
Giulia Pedone, PROCASUR, London February 10, 2016

2. A pilot programme in Peru and Senegal
Background: Why SUN and PROCASUR, and why Learning
Routes?
✓ Foster learning among peers;
✓ Strengthen the networking among SUN countries at
national, regional and international level;
✓ Hands-on methods and tools tailored to respond to
specific knowledge needs;
✓ Easy to follow-up on impacts through Innovation Plans

3. The Learning Route in Senegal

4. ∗ Know the Needs and the Offer available:
✓ Map SUN member countries ́ specific thematic interests
for learning and sharing activities (Survey)
✓ Selection of 12 Countries for the Pilot, 2 of them being the
Hosts
∗ Set-up Clear Learning Objectives
∗ Select the Countries and the right people (criteria)
Design and Preparation

5. Participating Countries
SENEGAL
Benin, Burundi,
Ghana, Guinea
Conakry, Niger,
Sierra Leone,
Peru
PERU
El Salvador,
Guatemala, Lao
PDR, Madagascar,
Sri Lanka, Tanzania,
Senegal
★ 40 people from 14 SUN member countries
★ National Governments (55%), CSOs (43%)
and private sector (2%)
★ 63% women
★ Partners: Fight Against Malnutrition Unit
(Senegal), Ministry of Development and
Social Inclusion (Peru)
★ Funding: SUN Movement Multi Partner
Trust Fund

6. ∗Institutional Coordination,
inter-sectorial and inter-
governmental coordination
btw State and CS
∗Decentralised Approach to
Nutrition, involving LGA and
their communities in the
development of nutrition
oriented interventions
∗Financial Management and
Fundraising mechanisms, with
attention to performance-
based budgeting and incentive
funds
∗Communication strategies,
promoting changes in
population’s behaviours
Thematic Areas

7. Lessons Learned
Key issues in the fight against CCM:
1.Need for political will and commitment at the highest level to promote
state policies in favour of nutrition both at central and local level;
2.Creation of a government agency multi-sectorial and inter-governmental
strongly rooted in state institutions, responsible for coordinating policies on
nutrition, including the participation of civil society and the private sector;
3.Allocation of a specific budget to implement plans, programmes and
projects within the framework of the national nutrition policy;
4.Capacity building and participation of civil society as well as ownership of
the nutrition interventions by local communities.

8. Latin America
∗Strengthen capacities and knowledge of local stakeholders on nutrition and Anemia.
∗Promote the commitment of local authorities on the fight against child malnutrition.
∗Consolidate multi-sectorial spaces for networking amongst civil society organizations.
West Africa
∗Strengthen the involvement of social and political stakeholders on nutrition issues at local level
∗Capacity building of key actors at community level to improve child nutrition (grandmothers, pregnant women).
∗Securing local budget for nutrition to be included in local development plans.
∗Promote the commitment of local authorities on the importance of nutrition.
∗Strengthen the organizations responsible for the coordination of policies on nutrition and food security at local level.
∗Strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems of implemented actions.
East Africa
∗Strengthen the involvement of social and political stakeholders on nutrition issues at local level.
∗Develop a multi-actors strategy, with emphasis on civil society participation.
∗Strengthen financial capacities of entities in charge of coordination.
∗Have a nutrition policy and an implementation plan.
∗Improve articulation of policies and multi-sectorial coordination.
Asia
∗Organize multi-sectorial spaces for the articulation and implementation of initiatives.
∗Define and articulate policies addressing nutrition at national level.
Country Action Plans

9. ∗ Technical Evaluation of the Plans
+ Peer-to-Peer crossed review by
SUN Countries
∗ Dissemination of the Plans
∗ Communication Strategies (using
video, VLC, publications)
∗ Final Survey
Follow-Up & Achievements
94% of participants
considered that
their learning
expectations have
been achieved
Useful learning
platform to
strengthen
capacities to scale-
up nutrition
90%Improved
networking
among SUN
member countries
90%
Action Plans are
hands-on tools
easy to follow
84%

10. Challenges
∗ Some Action Plans exaggerate their scope, too ambitious
∗ Difficult to implement the innovations due to lack of specific
budget allocated (for Government especially budget allocation is
not flexible)
∗ Dialogue between CS and Governments not sustained after the
LR (Gov’ is too busy)
∗ Need to a strong M&E to follow up on the Action Plans and their
impacts and to focused communication strategy to disseminate
the results (strengthen the follow-up phase)
∗ Key role of SUN in reinforcing and building upon the
achievements

11. How can we work together?
○ How can the LR process embed into already existing
learning exchanges among SUN countries and improve
networking?
○ What are the conditions for these exchanges and learning
being sustainable over time within the SUN network?
○ Which kind of approaches and tools would be necessary
to reinforce to serve these purposes?

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