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Health and Nutrition

Our goal of ending extreme poverty can only be achieved by tackling poverty’s root causes – and top among them are poor public health and nutritional deficiencies.

For most of our more than 10 years in operation, we have been leading the way with sector-defining programs that are changing people’s lives for the better. We work towards the survival and wellbeing of the world’s most vulnerable communities, while ensuring they obtain the knowledge and resources to keep themselves and their families healthy and nourished.

There has been slow progress in reducing under-five and maternal mortality due to the absence of special care that babies require, particularly in their first 28 days of life. Although there has been some improvement in child and maternal health in Ghana in the last two decades, mothers and children are still dying from preventable causes. The 2017 Maternal and health Survey reported under-five mortality ratio to be 52 deaths per 1,000 live births (GMHS, 2017). Maternal mortality ratio in 2017 stood at 319 deaths per 1,000 births, as revealed by the Health Minister during a ceremony to unveil combined Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Record Book for Ghana (Myjoyonline, 29-10-2017).

We seek to address a lack of access to basic services, including health care; promote good nutrition practices and supplement diets; educate communities about hygiene and alleviate poverty and inequality. We pay particular attention to maternal, child and adolescent health, the needs of those in remote areas, and gender equality.

Access to quality nutrition services in health facilities and across communities is essential to prevent and manage malnutrition and promote optimal nutrition across all life stages. Through the support of our donors, we can plan and implement robust public health projects and reach more vulnerable in society.

Nevertheless, more efforts need to be put in place by Government and its partners, like FHI, in order to attain the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births and reducing under-five mortality to less than 12 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030. Furthermore, reducing 19% under five stunting; 11.0% underweight and 5% wasting (GDHS, 2014) will require attempts made to improve upon maternal and child nutritional status through appropriate feeding practices, immunization and adherence to good health practices.

Our Approach Towards Making a Difference.

  • Optimal utilization of Health, Nutrition and WASH-related services is critical for the well-being of children, adolescents, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. Our ambition for 2030 is that all children survive, learn, and are protected by bringing multi-sectoral interventions to the most disadvantaged families.
  • FHI has strategic engagement with Ministry of Women& Child Development, Ministry of Health, Research and Academic Institutions to strengthen health & nutrition programmes in hard-to-reach areas
  • We work towards strengthening factors which can help address poor health and undernutrition
    • Access to clean water and sanitation
    • Hygiene practices
    • Adequate dietary intake
    • Prevention and management of childhood infections
  • Being a multi-thematic organization, we use integrated approaches to address the many underlying causes of malnutrition and employ evidence-based strategies to improve access to safe and nutritious food through nutrition-sensitive agriculture, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), social protection, education, livelihoods and school health and nutrition interventions. We work to improve the health and nutritional well-being of children, adolescents and mothers.
  • We aim to improve nutritional security through improving behavioral practices in feeding young infants and children, strengthening health services.
  • Supporting children suffering from tuberculosis with nutritional support to improve their recovery and convalescence. Building a supporting and conducive ecosystem for pediatric tuberculosis through strengthening the ecosystem for tuberculosis management.
  • Strengthening of Comprehensive Primary Healthcare Services focusing on specific healthcare needs of all sections of the population irrespective of age, gender, ethnicity, religious belief, sexual orientation, and place of residence or socioeconomic status
  • Nutrition Education. FHI provides information about nutrition’s role in maintaining good health and how to make informed choices about the food we eat.  Our nutrition education is essential because it helps people make healthier choices about the foods they eat and the nutrients they consume. It also helps people understand the role of nutrition in preventing and managing chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Some critical components of our nutrition education include: u understanding the different nutrients and their functions in the body’ understanding the role of a balanced diet in maintaining good health; understanding the concept of portion sizes and how they relate to energy intake; knowing how to make healthy choices when eating out or choosing packaged foods; understanding the role of physical activity in maintaining a healthy weight.