Viet Nam
Viet Nam experienced impressive economic growth and rapid reductions in poverty over the last decade, but malnutrition persists. More than one-third of children under 5 in Viet Nam are stunted and only 17 percent of infants under 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed.
Intensive Alive & Thrive activities such as timely and targeted counseling will reach the parents of nearly one million children 0-24 months old in 10 rural provinces and 5 cities. Through the use of mass media, A&T will reach an additional 1.5 million of the target population across all 63 provinces.
View a map of program areas
Read Viet Nam nutrition profile
Goal in A&T program areas
- Increase exclusive breastfeeding among infants under six months old by 62% (from 17% to 27.5%)
- Prevent stunting in 54,000 children under five years of age
Our approach
The Alive & Thrive (A&T) program in Viet Nam aims to create an enabling environment for improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices through a comprehensive delivery model.
- Policy dialogue for evidence-based decision-making at national and provincial levels, compliance with the national marketing code of breastmilk substitutes, and support from medical practitioners for exclusive breastfeeding.
- Partnerships with the Ministry of Health, Provincial Health Services, Viet Nam Women’s Union, private food manufacturers, UN Agencies, and other international and local organizations
- Fortified complementary foods and related products that are high-quality, readily available, affordable, and linked to consumer preferences and habits
- Franchise model in rural commune health centers with one-on-one lactation and nutrition counseling by skilled providers and group classes. Read A&T franchise model brief
- Multiple communication channels including print materials, telephone counseling, and a mass media campaign
Visit mattroibetho.vn, the official franchise website
Read more about program challenges, A&T's response, and expected results.
Contact
Director: Nemat Hajeebhoy, nhajeebhoy@fhi360.org
Room 203-204, Building E4B, Trung Tu Diplomatic Compound, No. 6 Dang Van Ngu Streeet; Hanoi, Viet Nam
Phone: 84-4-35739064/ 65/ 66; Fax: 84-4-35739063
Local press
Quang Tri: Launch of franchise model
Quang Ngai: More than $150,000 to address malnutrition among children in Quang Ngai
Khanh Hoa: Bill Gates helps to prevent stunting among Vietnamese children
