Representatives of the UK Government, the Chin State Government, the Department of Social Welfare, LIFT and the National Nutrition Centre took to the stage in Nay Pyi Taw on 21 August to officially launch the baseline survey of the Chin State maternal and child cash transfer (MCCT) programme.
The Chin State MCCT programme funded by LIFT and implemented by the Department of Social Welfare with the support of government counterparts and international and national non-government organisations, brings together mothers, communities and government to focus on good nutrition in the crucial first 1,000 days of a child’s life. Registered pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in Chin State receive a monthly cash transfer of MMK 15,000 (USD 11). Since the programme began in June 2017, almost 19,000 women have been registered to receive cash transfers and six rounds of payments have been delivered.
British Ambassador to Myanmar Mr Dan Chugg said improving nutrition in Myanmar was a priority for the UK government.
That is why we are putting large amounts of UK taxpayers money into this through our support to LIFT and 3MDG. In Myanmar, one child in three is stunted. This happens because of poor nutrition and repeated infection during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life,” Mr Chugg said.
“Stunting has long term harmful effects on children and adults … experts assess that stunting will cost Myanmar somewhere between USD 2 billion and USD 6 billion every year due to lost opportunities and health costs. That is shocking. But the good news is that it is relatively easy to fix. Ensuring good nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a baby’s life is transformational for the child; and it can be transformational for Myanmar.
“Improving child nutrition takes three things: a mother, a community and a government. The Chin maternal and child cash transfer programme is an excellent example of collaboration – a Government-led programme aimed at the most vulnerable members of the community, supported by LIFT through funding and in implementation,” Mr Chugg said.
Chin State Minister of Social Affairs H.E U Pau Lun Min said the Chin MCCT programme was a good example of best practice for other parts of Myanmar.
“On behalf of all Chin people and government we congratulate LIFT and the Department of Social Welfare for the successful implementation of this programme in Chin State that increases nutritional awareness and behaviours of mothers and children in the first 1,000 days,” he said.
Department of Social Welfare Director General Dr San San Aye said the Chin MCCT programme was a milestone in the government’s work on social protection and nutrition.
“I want to thank all the people in the UK for supporting our children and mothers. The baseline survey is very important for us to measure our impact in Chin State. With LIFT’s support we have been able to adopt a universal approach to reaching mothers in Chin State. From the baseline research we can measure our impact. We learn more about the challenges and difficulties and can then apply these lessons when we implement MCCT programmes in other parts of the country,” Dr San San Aye said.
LIFT Fund Director Katy Webley said nutrition had been a part of LIFT’s strategy since 2014. LIFT supports rural, poor people through MCCTs, social and behaviour change communication, agriculture that supports better nutrition, fortified rice, hygiene and sanitation, piloting of digital nutrition messaging and through research and data collection.
“LIFT’s main support has come through the flagship MCCTs. This began in Rakhine in 2014, and has since been rolled out to the Delta and the Dry Zone. We are currently conducting randomised control trials to measure the impact and determine the most cost-effective way to deliver cash transfers and nutrition and health messages,” Ms Webley said.
Nutrition would continue to be an important part of LIFT’s next strategy, expanding to better support displaced people, migrant women and their children, and those living with disabilities, she said.
Myanmar Survey Research (MSR) conducted the Chin baseline survey. MSR Research Director Patrick Meza delivered a presentation of the baseline research at the launch.
Findings from the Chin baseline survey led to several recommendations about the need for nutrition awareness education to help women and their families understand how to achieve good nutrition and know what they need to change to ensure they give their children the best start in life.
The survey found that many Chin mothers’ and children’s diets did not include the diversity of food groups needed for good nutrition. It was recommended that the need for a diverse diet be addressed by social and behaviour change communications and nutrition awareness education. The baseline survey findings identify other knowledge gaps that need to be addressed, such as correct breastfeeding practices and seeking adequate health care during pregnancy.
The research’s recommendations state: “The biggest challenge for the MCCT Chin programme is to ensure that nutrition awareness and social and behavior change messaging is inclusive of the most remote populations in Chin State”.
The Chin State MCCT programme has two components: maternal and child cash transfers (MCCT) and a social and behavior change communication component.
Ms Webley said strengthening the social and behaviour change communication component of the Chin MCCT programme was an important focus for the programme in 2018.
“There was progress made last year designing and agreeing on a curriculum for social and behaviour change communication and more than 1,000 midwives from 900 villages were trained on how to deliver the nutrition information to mothers and their communities,” Ms Webley said.
“Unfortunately, nutrition information sessions could only occur in a few locations. Now, DSW and our partners are working on a broader, more contextualised strategy for delivering nutrition information to mothers and their communities across the state.
LIFT’s investment in the Chin State MCCT programme, designed to achieve universal coverage, is more than USD 11 million. The government will fund the programme from 2019.
The MCCT programme is one of eight flagship social protection programmes within the Myanmar National Social Protection Strategic Plan (NSPSP).
The Chin Baseline Survey report can be downloaded here https://www.lift-fund.org/mcct-chin-baseline-survey
