Social Protection Programs for Adolescent Girls' Nutrition

Background:

The SOPRAN Project (Leveraging Pakistan’s Social Protection Programs for Adolescent Girls’ Nutrition) is an initiative by Nutrition International (NI) in collaboration with Shifa Foundation, aimed at improving adolescent girls’ nutrition through Weekly Iron & Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFAS). With 54.7% of adolescent girls affected by iron deficiency anemia, this project seeks to enhance nutritional education, supplement distribution, and community engagement.

The initiative is aligned with Pakistan’s Adolescent Nutrition Strategy (2020-2025) and leverages the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Taleemi Wazaif (TW) to empower 100,000 adolescent girls as both recipients and advocates of WIFAS and fortified foods.

Key Interventions:

• Conducting Training of Trainers (TOT) sessions for teachers and healthcare workers on WIFAS administration and adolescent nutrition.
• Organizing cascade training sessions to ensure effective knowledge dissemination.
• Strengthening supply chain management for the consistent availability of WIFAS.
• Engaging community leaders, religious influencers, and families to support better nutrition practices.

Deliverables:

• TOT sessions for master trainers from the Health and Education Departments across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, AJK, GB, and Islamabad.
• Cascade training sessions for additional staff to ensure proper implementation.
• Development of contextualized training manuals and job aids for effective training delivery.
• Ensuring compliance and sustainability of WIFAS distribution in schools.

Donors: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Focus: Adolescent Nutrition, WIFAS Implementation

Implementation Area: Pakistan (Multiple Provinces and Regions)

This project is a significant step towards reducing iron deficiency anemia and improving health outcomes for adolescent girls, ensuring they receive the nutrition necessary for their development and future well-being.