From 2011 to 2016, FANTA worked with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of a national effort to integrate nutrition interventions into health programs for people living with HIV, tuberculosis, and other related infections. FANTA supported government efforts to provide comprehensive nutrition services by implementing the nutrition assessment, counseling and support (NACS) approach.
Specifically, FANTA’s activities in the DRC included:
- Strengthening the technical capacity of the National Nutrition Program Office and other Ministry of Health departments providing HIV services to coordinate and supervise NACS as part of routine HIV and tuberculosis health service delivery.
- Working with FHI 360’s Livelihood and Food Security Technical Assistance Project (LIFT) to improve links from clinical to community services by including access to economic strengthening, livelihood, and food security services in NACS implementation.
- Working with the University Research Corporation to improve the quality of NACS.
- Developing and producing NACS training materials and relevant job aids, counseling materials, and M&E tools for both facility-based and community-based workers.
- Supporting the training, mentoring, and coaching of health services providers in targeted facilities in Kinshasa and Katanga provinces.
- Finalizing and disseminating a national protocol and revised national guidelines for integrating nutrition into HIV services.
