(Nepal): Suahaara II focuses on the 1,000-day period between conception and a child's second birthday as a critical window to shaping a child's cognitive and physical development through improved nutrition. With FY 2021 funds, the activity will continue to reduce the prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting among children; improve household health, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene behaviors and practices; increase the use of quality health services; increase the consumption of diverse and nutritious foods by women and their families; and support counseling and behavior change communication on family planning in mothers' groups. Suaahara II will work with the GON in 389 of the 753 municipalities in Nepal using evidence-based, multi-sectoral nutrition interventions at the policy, community, and household levels. Suaahara II will improve health and nutrition behaviors and reduce the impact of health emergencies such as COVID-19 on health and nutrition by strengthening community health systems. This will include training health facility staff on the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, infant and young child feeding, maternal and newborn care, integrated management of acute malnutrition and childhood illness, and maternal and adolescent nutrition. In addition, it will promote essential hygiene actions (e.g., safe drinking water, disposal of feces), healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy, and provide information on family planning methods and service availability..This activity will utilize $50,000 of the $5 million Water earmark..Helen Keller International has vast experience implementing integrated nutrition interventions essential to achieve the goals of the activity. Improving nutritional health ensures a healthy and productive workforce in support of Embassy Kathmandu's ICS Goal Two: Increase America's prosperity by developing Nepal as a reliable economic partner..

Objectives for Nepal: Promote key Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) practices through an intensivebehavior change strategy, including interpersonal communication activities, radio programs, and theuse of mobile technology at the community level. Expand coverage of the community-based integrated management of newborn and childhood illnessprogram and strengthen growth monitoring and promotion at outreach clinics and health facilities. Enhance clean water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions of household facilities and establish privatesector linkages to promote WASH technologies. Improve consumption of nutritious food through increased production, improved post-harveststorage, and processing diverse nutritious food, especially for women farmers from disadvantagedgroups. Strengthen coordination on health and nutrition between government and other stakeholdersthrough the Food Security and Nutrition Coordination Committee, Nepal Nutrition Group,Nutrition Technical Committee, Safe Motherhood sub- committee, Family Planning Sub -committee,and Reproductive Health Coordination Committee. Strengthen the technical, managerial, operational capacity of health and non-health sectorstakeholders at the district and Village Development Committee (VDC) levels to enhance MSNPimplementation.