Blog Leveraging community development strategies to sustain nutrition gains in Northern Uganda
As the "Building Resilience to Enhance Food and Nutrition Security, Incomes, and Health in Northern Uganda" (BRENU) project reached its conclusion, the need to sustain the nutrition and health lessons and improvements achieved became paramount. To address this, the Alliance, in collaboration with its partners, harnessed an opportunity that led to the establishment and orientation of Parish Nutrition Coordination Committees (PNCCs) in 18 parishes in three districts. In this blog we share a snapshot of the process and outcomes.
By: Moses Owori, Fred Kato, Deborah Nabuuma, Beatrice Ekesa
The BRENU Project and the Parish Development Model
The BRENU project, led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and a consortium of six partners, including the Alliance from 2020 to 2023, aimed to improve livelihoods through increased production of diversified food, enhanced market opportunities, and better maternal and child nutrition in seven districts in two sub-regions of Northern Uganda. The Alliance played a crucial role in integrating nutrition-sensitive activities and building the capacity of over 1,900 community development agents, reaching over 42,000 households.
The Parish Development Model (PDM) is a government-led initiative aimed at mobilizing and empowering communities for socio-economic transformation and environmental sustainability. It serves as the operational framework for Uganda’s third National Development Plan (NDPIII) 2020/21-2024/25. The model designates the parish as the focal point for community development and planning, with the Parish Development Committee overseeing governance, whilst the Nutrition Secretariat of the Office of the Prime Minister coordinates nutrition policies and activities at national level.
At the district level, coordination of nutrition activities is achieved through Nutrition Coordination Committees that are comprised of multisector leaders and partners. Efforts have also been made to establish Nutrition Coordination Committees at the sub-county level.
Given the focus on the PDM as the foremost national development strategy and the model’s emphasis on sustainable food production, the Alliance and its BRENU partners within the local government and development space identified an opportunity to align Nutrition Coordination Committees at the parish level. Establishing Parish Nutrition Coordination Committees (PNCCs) would:
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Strengthen the nutrition capacity in the lower local government structures.
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Contribute to the alignment of Nutrition Coordination Committees objectives with the PDM.
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Leverage the community-level capacity built through BRENU to further make contributions towards nutrition advocacy.
The formation of Parish Nutrition Coordination Committees (PNCCs) provided an opportunity to align nutrition coordination to the Parish Development Model. Sources: Uganda Nutrition Coordination Framework (FHI360 2018); The Parish Development Model (Government of Uganda Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, 2021)
Joint Implementation Plan for PNCCs
To guide the formation and operationalization of the PNCCs, the Alliance and its BRENU local government partners developed and piloted a Joint Implementation Plan. The plan outlined the steps for establishing functional PNCCs and ensuring their sustainability.
Scope of the joint implementation plan
The plan aimed to establish new committees and strengthen existing nutrition coordination structures across the Lango and Teso regions, where the PNCCs could be established as sub-committees of the Parish Development Committee or by adopting the entire membership of this committee.
An initial assessment revealed that while all seven districts and 14 BRENU sub-counties had District and Sub-county Nutrition Coordination Committees, there were no established PNCCs, except for Amolatar District, where existing PNCCs required reformation and refresher orientation due to changes brought about by the Parish Development Model (PDM). The Joint Implementation Plan was designed to address these gaps, ensuring the formation of functional PNCCs that aligned with the government’s broader development goals.
Orientation training
Led by Moses Okello, the Dokolo District Nutrition Focal Person and the Office of the Prime Minister Nutrition Governance National Facilitator, the training covered the roles and responsibilities of the PNCCs, nutrition-sensitive programming, and the coordination of nutrition activities at the local level. A total of 162 PNCC members from the 18 parishes were trained (54 from Dokolo, 54 from Kapelebyong, and 54 from Otuke). Also, 35 members from the district level (5 from each of the seven BRENU districts) and 72 from the sub-county level were in attendance.
District Nutrition Coordination Committe and Sub-county Nutrition Coordination Committee members from the seven BRENU target districts during the joint planning workshop for the formation and orientation of PNCCs hosted by Dokolo District Local Government.
Operationalization
PNCCs were tasked with setting up regular meetings, developing work plans and budgets, and coordinating nutrition activities. They worked closely with district and sub-county Nutrition Coordination Committees to ensure alignment and coordination. To ensure sustainability, PNCCs were encouraged to secure funding through government support, donor assistance, and private sector engagement, while integrating nutrition activities into existing government-funded programs and incorporating nutrition indicators into Parish Development Committee (PDC) activities.
PNCC members made group presentation posters on the nutrition situations in their areas during the orientation training.
Supporting PNCC Effectiveness
In addition to the formation and orientation of the PNCCs in the pilot parishes, further support was provided through the BRENU project to ensure the PNCCs hit the ground running:
Development of Parish Nutrition Action Plans (PNAPs)
Guidance was provided to help PNCCs develop action plans tailored to their respective local contexts. This included exploring funding sources; for instance, how to tap into the existing government support such as funding for quarterly supervision and coordination meetings by the Parish Development Committees; and the annual district local government budget allocation for nutrition activities.
Engagements with existing grassroots nutrition and health structures
Interactions between PNCCs and BRENU livelihood groups were facilitated to enhance collaboration and links to BRENU outputs. PNCCs were also encouraged to strengthen connections between other nutrition and health structures like the Community Health Extension Workers and local health facilities.
Training members in other BRENU districts
The PNCC orientation was piloted in 3 districts. 10 representatives at district and subcounty level from each of the other four districts (Amolatar, Apac, Kwania, and Amuria) where BRENU was implemented, were also invited to participate in the planning and content alignment workshop. They also participated in the orientation training sessions, gaining firsthand experience of the processes involved in PNCC formation and operationalization. This enabled them to prepare for scaling similar interventions in their districts, should support be available in the future.
The newly formed PNCC meeting in Acowa . Members of the BRENU Livelihood Group with Dr. Beatrice Ekesa (Alliance Country Representative) and Fred Kato (Technical Advisor for the Alliance BRENU Team)
Provision of job aids
To support the successful implementation of nutrition activities, 3,500 key message booklets on nutrition were provided. These booklets serve as practical resources, offering clear and concise information on best practices for promoting proper nutrition within communities. By equipping these local leaders with relevant, easy-to-understand materials, the booklets helped to facilitate nutrition advocacy, community mobilization, and education efforts across all districts involved, ensuring that accurate and consistent nutrition messaging reached the grassroots level.
Reflections from the ground
“I thank all the participants for attending this very important training, and I extend my gratitude to the Bioversity team for selecting Dokolo District as one of the pilot districts as the BRENU project supports the formation of Parish Nutrition Coordination Committees. Nutrition is often ignored, but with good nutrition, we can prevent many diseases like hypertension and diabetes. In our district, we have pregnant mothers who are malnourished, but it is the duty of the District Nutrition Coordination Committees to coordinate activities that can reduce the rate of malnutrition among our pregnant mothers and children. Leaders in the village should be involved to create more awareness about nutrition and malnutrition. The mode of nutrition referral should be strengthened, as many people think malnutrition is not life-threatening and tend to ignore it. It is our responsibility to create awareness about the severity and negative impact malnutrition could have on individuals and the community at large. Having functioning Parish Nutrition Coordination Committees will help us improve nutrition in our communities.”
Moses Ocen,representing the Dokolo District Local Government Chief Administrative Officer during the joint planning workshop for the formation and orientation of PNCCs
“The Parish Nutrition Coordination Committees have become part of the Parish Development Model to help us scale the implementation of nutrition. Thank you to all participants and everyone who attended the training. Nutrition is important for all because it is life; if we don’t eat, we cannot live. Let us value the nutrition interventions from district, sub-county, parish and village levels. If we don’t practice good nutrition, we will end up with stunted children who cannot perform well in schools, hence affecting development. The Parish Nutrition Coordination Committees that we are establishing will strengthen nutrition interventions at the parish level. The message from the training should be preached to the community members. The ball is in our hands, and we must kick it well to win the match. Winning is achieved through sharing knowledge. We should work as a team to achieve this.”
Judith Amuge, the Dokolo District Senior Community Development Officer, as she co-facilitated the PNCC orientation training in her district
“Establishing the Parish Nutrition Coordination Committees (PNCCs) was a crucial step in ensuring the sustainability of BRENU’s achievements. By aligning nutrition coordination with the Parish Development Model and local structures, we sought to complement the existing community development strategies with ongoing nutrition advocacy and support. This approach not only aimed to sustain the project's outcomes but also to foster local ownership and engagement. The positive reception and active participation from DNCC and SNCC members of the district and sub-county Nutrition Coordination Committees underscore the potential of PNCCs to drive forward the vision of a healthier and more resilient Northern Uganda. As we look back on the BRENU project, we are optimistic that these committees will play a vital role in continuing to enhance community health and nutrition, providing a scalable model for other regions to adopt."
Moses Owori, Senior Research Associate, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, at the end of the PNCC Orientation in Otuke District
Moses Owori giving closing remarks during a PNCC orientation training in Otuke District, Ogor sub-county.
Building Resilience to Enhance Food and Nutrition Security, Incomes and Health in Northern Uganda (BRENU) was a project under the Development Initiative for Northern Uganda (DINU), a program of the Government of Uganda supported by the European Union (EU).
BRENU sought to enhance food and nutrition security, increase household incomes, and improve mother and child health in Northern Uganda by promoting the production of diversified crops and animal products; commercializing agriculture; improving post-harvest handling, food preparation; encouraging family planning for improved and sustainable livelihoods; and enhancing household resilience to climate change and empowering women and youth.
IITA led the implementation of BRENU together with a consortium of five partners: Voluntary Efforts for Development Concerns (VEDCO), Kilimo Trust (KT), Rikolto International, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and Ernest Cook Ultrasound Research and Education Institute (ECUREI). BRENU was carried out from 2020-2023 in Lango sub-region: Amolatar, Apac, Kwania, Dokolo and Otuke districts, and Teso sub-region: Amuria and Kapelebyong districts.
The Team
Deborah Nabuuma
Associate Scientist
Fred Kato
Research Specialist
Moses Owori
Senior Research Associate - NutritionRelated Content
