20 Mar 2025
The Horn of Africa continues to face overlapping crises, including floods, climate change, and conflict as well as food insecurities. These have contributed to persistent high levels of malnutrition in the region. Despite progress in the past decades, a recent report from World Health organization showed that over 10.5 million children are still facing acute malnutrition in South Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda. Strong policies play a critical role in shaping the development and processes of food security, nutrition, and Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) ensuring adequate resource allocation, establishment of legal frameworks and promotion of coordinated efforts among governments, communities and civil society partners.
Right2Grow is at the forefront of advocating for policy changes that enhance food security, nutrition, and WASH across multiple countries. Through strategic partnerships, evidence-based advocacy and capacity building, Right2Grow has influenced significant policy and legislative changes in Uganda, South Sudan, and Ethiopia. These efforts aim to improve legal frameworks, ensure sustainability and strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration to combat malnutrition and related challenges. Additionally, Right2Grow works closely with communities at grassroot level to bridge the gap between communities, policy makers, experts and technocrats for enhanced and beneficial partnerships.
Right2Grow takes a long-term, sustainable approach to addressing WASH, food security, and malnutrition—a departure from the reactive, short-term nature of most humanitarian interventions in the region. This focus on policy change is key, as ineffective policies have historically hindered progress in these areas. As one of Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs' civil society strengthening partnerships, Right2Grow seeks to enhance nutrition outcomes for children under 5 years through empowering marginalized communities, improving WASH and advocating for policy & legislative action.
Right2Grow In Uganda
The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda (1995) recognizes that people have a right to food. Objective XXII on food security and nutrition requires the State to take appropriate steps to encourage people to grow and store adequate food. It also requires the State to establish national food reserves and to promote proper nutrition through mass education and other means to build a healthy state. However, wasting and stunting levels among children remain very high with stunting levels of children under five at 24.4%. Right2Grow Uganda has successfully implemented several policy initiatives with support from local partner organizations.
In partnership with the Uganda Parliamentary Alliance on Food and Nutrition Security (UPA-FNS), Right2Grow has played a critical role in advancing the Food and Nutrition Bill. The Bill is meant to ensure the provision of safe and nutritious food for family members, including school-going children, infants, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. Right2Grow has held various engagements with key stakeholders including capacity building on the nutrition status and ascertaining the need for a law, technical input into the bill, convening consultation engagements on the bill as well as publicizing through media campaigns. In September2024, Hon. Muwuma Milton, the Chairperson of UPA-FNS and Kigulu South Member of Parliament was granted leave of the house to introduce the bill and has since then spearheaded various engagements to have the bill ready for presentation before the floor of Parliament.
Additionally, Right2Grow has influenced budget allocations for food security, nutrition and WASH at national and sub national levels. With the technical guidance from Centre for Economic Governance and Accountability in Africa (CEGAA) and Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG), Right2Grow has trained over 50 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) including Community Based Organizations and other community structures working under the Right2Grow programme on Budget Monitoring and Expenditure Tracking (BMET). With improved capacities and empowerment, there has been meaningful participation in the national budgeting and planning cycle where position and issue papers with key recommendations on food security, WASH and Nutrition have been developed and presented. At the National level, 46 out of the 91 recommendations through the project cycle were adopted and have informed budget allocations, ensuring resources are allocated to critical areas of food security, WASH and nutrition. At sub-national level, a number of budget allocations have been made geared towards construction of water points, public latrines, demonstration gardens, functionality of Nutrition Coordination Committees and filling of nutrition human resource gaps.
Right2Grow through its partnership with Food Rights Alliance has actively participated in the review of Uganda's Food and Nutrition Policy. This review is in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF). The policy, once adopted will signal progress towards a more comprehensive national framework for addressing food and nutrition challenges.
At the sub-national level, Right2Grow has supported and influenced the creation of ordinances and by-laws focused on food security, nutrition and WASH which are now being implemented. Some of the changes observed so far include the construction of toilets at household level and the formation of water user committees. This is contributing to improved hygiene, sanitation and resource management at the community level. These localized regulations are driving concrete changes in behavior and infrastructure which support broader national goals of improving nutrition, WASH and Food security.
Right2Grow under the leadership of CSBAG successfully contributed to the Amendment of the Public Health Act. The project held numerous dialogue sessions with Members of Parliament, Government Technocrats and CSOs to discuss and generate policy alternatives for improved public financing for Health, Food Security, Nutrition and WASH in Uganda. From the dialogue, CSBAG was able to get Commitments from Members of UPA-FNS to fast track and adopt the Public Health Amendment Act which was done in late 2002 and signed into law in February 2023. President Yoweri Museveni of the Republic of Uganda signed the Public Health Amendment Bill 2022 into law.
Right2Grow In South Sudan
Decades of conflict and internal strife have left South Sudan grappling with widespread food insecurity, malnutrition, and poor hygiene and sanitation. To create lasting change, Right2Grow South Sudan is leading policy and behavioral change initiatives. These efforts focus on securing government resource allocation at both national and state levels, while simultaneously empowering individuals and communities to adopt practices that improve food security and hygiene.
Since its independence in 2011, South Sudan has never had a National Nutrition Policy yet it is key in the fight against malnutrition as it outlines strategies to be used in provision of nutrition services for prevention and treatment of malnutrition. It also unlocks resources for nutrition services as the government will be legally required to support its implementation.
Through collaboration, several dialogues were held with government officials, members of parliament, community leaders and Ministry of Health with a view of raising awareness on the importance of having a National Nutrition Policy for South Sudan. This culminated in the formation of South Sudan Parliamentary Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition whose aim is to lobby for the adoption of the National Nutrition Policy. In November 2024, Right2Grow held a National Nutrition Policy Workshop, marking a significant step toward a comprehensive policy framework in South Sudan.
Right2Grow South Sudan has also built capacity of lawmakers, government officials, communities and Civil Society Organizations on BMET which allows communities to track, analyze and report on budget allocation and expenditure on specific items like nutrition. Through BMET, Child Rights Coalition and other South Sudanese CSOs are able to influence re-allocations of the national budget, helping to address inefficiencies and misalignment with local needs.
Right2Grow In Ethiopia
Right2Grow Ethiopia has played a significant role in supporting the Ethiopian government’s efforts in addressing food insecurity, malnutrition, and WASH challenges through advocacy, capacity building, and partnerships.
World Vision, a Right2Grow partner in Ethiopia developed a Citizens Voice and Action [CVA] tool that enhances accountability by empowering citizens to monitor and hold their government accountable for the quality of public services they provide. This social accountability and advocacy tool has since been adopted by the government. This tool, incorporated into the initiative, "Community-Led and Owned Nutrition Solutions and Citizen Accountability for Ending Malnutrition in Ethiopia," focuses on ensuring community participation and government accountability in nutrition programs.
Right2Grow Ethiopia has spearheaded and supported the establishment of Food Systems and Nutrition Councils at national and regional levels. A high-level policy dialogue, organized by Right2Grow in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in December 2023, identified policy gaps and provided recommendations, including the legal establishment of the councils and the creation of inclusive spaces for civil society and private sector representation.
To effectively address issues of food security and nutrition, Right2Grow Ethiopia in collaboration with other development partners and Ministry of Health provided technical and financial assistance to operationalize the Nutrition Centric HDP Triple Nexus in Ethiopia through the development of an Operational Guide and Implementation Roadmap. The guidelines and road map provide policies, mechanisms and ways of working for effective coordination and integration of humanitarian, development, and peace-building efforts in improving food security and nutrition outcomes in Ethiopia. In May 2024, these guidelines and roadmap were adopted during a colorful launch ceremony in Ethiopia.
Conclusion
Right2Grow’s impact on policy in South Sudan, Uganda, and Ethiopia highlights the power of collaborative advocacy in addressing malnutrition and food insecurity. Through strategic partnerships with governments, private sector civil society, and local communities, the initiative has successfully influenced legislative frameworks, budget allocations, and grassroots implementation of nutrition and WASH policies. While significant progress has been made, the fight against stunting and malnutrition is far from over. Continued investment in policy implementation, capacity building, and community ownership will be crucial to sustaining these gains.
Curious to know what positions these countries have taken heading towards Nutrition for Growth 2025?
You can find all 3 position papers on the links below:
Uganda: Revisiting Approaches and Strategies - Enhancing efforts to attain Uganda’s Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Commitments
South Sudan: Revamping the Consolidated Effort to Combat Malnutrition in South Sudan
Ethiopia: Renewing Commitment and Accelerating Action: Enhancing Ethiopia's Nutrition Strategy to Meet the Tokyo N4G Summit Goals
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