January 20, 2012

An Ethiopia-based news outlet, Waltainfo.com, recently featured an article about a new program in Ethiopia designed to improve nutrition and economic opportunities for targeted food insecure populations. The ENGINE program involves a consortium of development partners that will work together to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality. Land O'Lakes will help improve small-scale production of crops and livestock in order to increase household incomes and positively impact nutrition. ENGINE is a five-year program generously supported by the American people through the United States International Agency for Development (USAID).

US launches 5-year program to improve nutrition of mothers, children 

Addis Ababa, October 27 (WIC) – The United States government has launched a new five year nutrition program, Empowering New Generation to Improve Nutrition and Economic Opportunities, commonly known as ENGINE on Tuesday, October 25, 2011.

The ENGINE program will provide nutrition and health services to 3.1 million children under the age of five, half a million pregnant and lactating women and 3.2 million women of reproductive age in 100 woredas in Amhara, Tigray, Oromia and SNNP states.

The program will also provide nutrition services to 2.7 million households participating in agricultural and livelihood programs sponsored by USAID as well as it will offer nutrition and health services for women and children in the rural areas who are affected and infected by HIV/AIDS through partial funding provided by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

State Minister of Health, Dr Kesetebirhane Admassu, said, “The new ENGINE program we are lunching today, in partnership with USAID/SC-USA will support Ethiopia’s efforts to improve the nutritional status of women and young children.”

The government of Ethiopia has been and still is committed to addressing under nutrition and food insecurity by introducing various national policies and programs including the Growth and Transformation Plan, Health Sector Development Plan, Health Extension Program, National Nutrition Strategy and 5-year National Nutrition Program, he said.

In terms of program implementation, 11 million children under 5 received vitamin A supplementation and de-worming, community based nutrition scaled up to 300 woredas, community management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) has been decentralized to more than 8,000 sites, and salt iodization has been legalized and scaled up, he added.

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