Back to Programs

Community Growth Monitoring and Promotion Afghanistan

Afghanistan, South Asia

Afghanistans community-based Growth Monitoring and Promotion (cGMP) program addresses high malnutrition rates through Community Health Workers (CHWs). Given low literacy among CHWs and caregivers, the Ministry of Public Health developed pictorial tools for nutritional assessment and counseling. Family Health Action Groups (FHAGs) serve as platforms where female caregivers gather monthly to weigh children and discuss feeding practices. Evaluation showed participating underweight children gained 0.33 weight-for-age Z-scores per session.

Behavior Goal

Reduce child malnutrition through community-based growth monitoring, nutritional counseling, and promotion of optimal infant feeding practices

Implementers & Partners

  • Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health
  • Community Health Workers
  • NGO Partners

Donors & Sponsors

  • USAID
  • World Bank
  • UNICEF

Key Takeaways

  • 1Pictorial tools enable illiterate CHWs to conduct nutritional assessment
  • 2Family Health Action Groups create social support for behavior change
  • 3Monthly weighing with visual feedback motivates caregivers
  • 4Focus on first 1000 days (birth to 2 years) for maximum impact
  • 5Underweight children who participated consistently showed measurable improvement

Sources

Related Programs