Washington, D.C. – April 18, 2008 – Innovative analytical work in Tanzania, is showing that results in helping countries reduce poverty and meet development goals can be achieved even in the absence of traditional World Bank projects.  | All ages stand to benefit from better nutrition |
Tanzania is one of the 20 countries in the world that make up 80 percent of the burden of under-nutrition. Almost four out of every 10 children aged zero to five years old are stunted and over 60 percent of all children and 50 percent of all women are anemic. Such high levels of malnutrition undermine Tanzania’s growth potential and reduce the country’s ability to achieve the international community’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for nutrition, health or education.What is worse, until recently malnutrition hardly featured in Tanzania’s development discourse. Nutrition: Tanzania’s Forgotten MDG Nutrition is sometimes referred to as the forgotten MDG. In Tanzania this was certainly the case. Few effective interventions were being implemented and donor support was uncoordinated, limited, hap hazard, and mostly unproductive. Analytical work, led by staff at the World Bank Tanzania Country Office, set about to change this situation. To do so, the Bank’s Poverty Reduction Economic Management network and its Human Development group teamed up with the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Center (TFNC) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to undertake a two year study that included a series of background papers which were publicly discussed in Tanzania. “A key objective of the [Economic Sector Work] was to create space for nutrition,” said Godwin Ndossi, managing director of TFNC. “The approach worked wonderfully well. For instance, recommendations for decentralized implementation of nutrition interventions and for strategic focus on activities with the highest cost-benefit, such as food fortification, were included in the National Nutrition Strategic Plan.” Programs Without Projects  | Better nutrition can help countries attain not only the health, but also the education MDGs |
An important outcome of the analysis was the realization that because nutrition touches many aspects, progress can be made through better inter-sectoral collaboration. Decentralized service delivery, provision of bed nets, improved hygiene, nutrition advocacy, and access to safe water can do much to reduce malnutrition. So, instead of aiming for a nutrition project, the analysis argued for a better utilization of existing resources, an approach that has become known as “programs without projects”. For additional resources for nutrition, the analysis eyeballs HIV/AIDS funds available in Tanzania. “HIV/AIDS funds account for 30 percent of external grants to Tanzania,” according to Julie Mclaughlin, the lead health specialist involved in the study. “It makes sense to reallocate some of these resources to nutrition as HIV/AIDS and nutrition share common objectives.” “People taking anti-retrovirals require adequate food and often cannot obtain such,” she added. “The young, sexually active population stands to benefit from integrated advocacy on HIV prevention, adequate nutrition and child care. And as better nutrition delays the onset of AIDS, food fortification to the benefit of all, will support the many who are unaware of their HIV status.” Achieving Results One Step at a Time “Strong internal and external collaboration allowed this analytical piece to have impact, even before its launch,” said World Bank Country Director for Tanzania John McIntire. “Yet we’re only half way, and over the next year, increased attention for nutrition needs to translate into real change in food fortification, decentralization of nutrition services and the ability to tap into HIV/AIDS resources. Hans Hoogeveen, the team leader for the study, could not agree more. “To be successful we could use some help from [World Bank] headquarters by identifying someone to continue the dialogue and by putting pressure on our global partners to allow a broader interpretation of what HIV/AIDS resources can be used for,” he said. The analytical work titled “Advancing Nutrition for Long-Term Equitable Growth” is expected to be formally launched by the Minister for Health and Social Welfare later this year in Tanzania. Contributed by Hans Hoogeveen, World Bank, Tanzania |
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