Alive & Thrive is pleased to invite program designers, implementers, and researchers to a global webinar to learn about our research on the feasibility of integrating an adolescent nutrition program into school and community-based platforms, and the next steps in taking the intervention to scale.

Tuesday, April 11

9-10:30 a.m. EDT / 4-5:30 p.m. EAT

Duration: 90 minutes

Register here.

The webinar will allow stakeholders to learn more about:

• The feasibility of implementing adolescent nutrition interventions using school- and community-based platforms
• The systems strengthening and social and behavior change approaches that were adopted
• The process for scaling up adolescent nutrition interventions in different contexts
• The remaining research and knowledge gaps, and plans to address them

Adolescent health and nutrition interventions, particularly for girls, are key to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. In Ethiopia, over one-fourth (29%) of 15-19-year-old girls are underweight, and one-fifth (20%) are anemic (DHS, 2016); 13% have already had children (DHS, 2016). Malnutrition among young Ethiopian women of reproductive age affects not only their health and education but also the survival and health of future generations.

The policy and the programmatic landscapes are favorable for addressing adolescent nutrition in Ethiopia. National nutrition policy and strategy documents recognize the importance of adolescent nutrition interventions for improved health of adolescent girls, mothers and children. To identify and address implementation knowledge gaps, it is critical to develop and test the feasibility of adolescent nutrition interventions integrated in schools, health, and community platforms.

Alive & Thrive implementation research (2019-2021) applied the socioecological model of social and behavior change; identified schoolteachers and principals, peers, and parents as most influential persons; and assigned specific roles to them for enabling improved dietary practices in adolescent girls. The interventions addressed gaps in knowledge, beliefs, and social norms, and empowered adolescent girls to improve their nutrition. Alive & Thrive co-designed the interventions with key stakeholders and implemented them in the identified contact points, primarily through school systems.

The 90-minute webinar will feature presentations by a representative of the Government of Ethiopia, our partners at IFPRI, Alive & Thrive senior leadership and country program staff.