Integrated Nutrition Programme (INP)

This project is based on the Government&rsquos INP programme and its goal is to promote food security by empowering communities to become self-reliant and self-sufficient in terms of their food and nutritional needs.

The project is piloted in 52 clinics in the O R Tambo and Alfred Nzo districts in the Eastern Cape and in Zululand and Umkhanyakude districts in KwaZulu-Natal. It is funded by the WK Kellogg Foundation with The National Development Agency (NDA) funding 12 of the clinics in the Eastern Cape.

The target groups include:

  • Malnourished children and their households.
  • Pregnant and lactating mothers and their families.
  • Nutritionally at risk families & households

Clinic Vegetable Demonstration gardens
A total of 36 demonstration gardens were set up in all areas of operation (O R Tambo 8, Alfred Nzo 10, Zululand 10, and Umkhanyakude 10).

The Impumelelo Award

The Impumelelo Innovations Award Trust awarded the Integrated Nutrition Programme (INP) from the Health Systems Trust a silver award for its innovative work in the field of food security and community development at an awards ceremony held in Cape Town on Saturday 06/03/04

As part of the integrated management of childhood illnesses (IMCI), volunteers were trained in growth monitoring and promotion (GMP) and in The 16 Key Family Practices. Community Based Organisations and volunteers were trained at the Owen Sithole College of Agriculture in crop and vegetable production for food security. In the four sites where the INP is implemented, community bases have been set up for purposes of ensuring capacity where it is needed. Active participation of the beneficiaries is encouraged in order to ensure sustainability of the intervention.

Inspection of a clinic garden is done by a clinic member, the clinic sister and a facilitator from the Health Systems Trust. The main objective of these gardens is to demonstrate the value of growing food for household food security. Undernourished children, and people with TB and HIV receive nourishment at these clinics through these gardens.
Growing a variety of vegetables in the clinic vegetable gardens, demonstrates the importance of food diversification.
A community member collects vegetables for a TB patient with assistance of the nutrition volunteer. Each clinic has two volunteers who are trained by the Health Systems Trust on in the proper growth and preparation of vegetables for optimum nutrition.

Through the involvement of other sectors in the project, material resources such as fencing, seedlings and garden tools have been received from the Departments of Health and Agriculture

Achievements To Date

The integrated nutrition programme has managed to bring together most of the stakeholders required to ensure that the programme serves as a catalyst for communities to engage government in developmental activities. The programme therefore has managed to move beyond &lsquonutrition&rsquo into development-oriented interventions. Through the multi-sectoral task teams, it has succeeded to unlock and tap into material and technical expertise at the local level. Financial and material resources from other sectors and potential partners are making it possible to look beyond Kellogg funding, therefore, ensuring sustainability and integration of programmes.

Through community participation the government sector has been brought closer to the people thus leading to participatory planning and joint decision-making. The project has turned policy into action at the community level and in the process has influenced positive reaction and support at provincial government level.

The Provincial Departments of Health in both the Eastern Cape Province and Kwazulu-Natal are planning to roll out the INP project to other areas in their respective provinces.