CASCADE: Improving food security for women and children

Nutrition

CASCADE is a five-year, 60-million-euro project, implemented in six African countries between 2022-2026. The project, a consortium between CARE and GAIN, is funded by the Dutch Government and aims to improve food security and reduce malnutrition of women and children under five.

About CASCADE

CASCADE is implemented in Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Uganda with a plan to improve food security and reduce malnutrition of at least five million women of reproductive age and children under five years of age. The project will increase access to and consumption of healthy diets and increase households’ resilience to economic- and climate change-related shocks across the six countries.

To achieve goals, CASCADE works across five domains of change:

Strengthened policy implementation
Supportive private service providers
Strengthened community structures
Women’s empowerment / Gender equality
Coordination among food system actors and processes

CASCADE aims to achieve structural and sustainable long-term outcomes by strengthening the implementation of existing national nutrition-related policies by supporting, facilitating, and influencing governments, the private sector, and other relevant stakeholders, including target groups, so that all contribute to the effective implementation of nutrition-related policies.

To explore more about CASCADE visit https://www.carenederland.org/cascade

Implementation

CASCADE uses multiple advocacy strategies at local, national, and global levels to strengthen implementation of nutrition-related policies. It draws on CARE’s and GAIN’s approaches, focusing on social accountability, good governance, strengthening health systems, multisectoral coordination, resource mobilization, private sector engagement, and climate-resilient agricultural practices. It also strengthens communities through mobilization and civil society, applying collective pressure for changes in food systems and collaborates with the scaling-up nutrition (SUN) networks across the six countries to address malnutrition. Gender, social norm transformation, and behavior change are cross-cutting strategies, both as essential goals and a means to multiply impact.

Highlighted Resource

CASCADE Leaflet

A one-page leaflet explaining the impacts of CAtalyzing Strengthened policy aCtion for heAlthy Diets and resiliencE (CASCADE) project, which to improve food security and reduce malnutrition of at least 5 million women of reproductive age and children under 5 in Benin, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.

Bridging the Gap: Addressing challenges to accessing quality agricultural Inputs through Market Linkages for Women Small Holder Farmers

To strengthen linkages and supply networks for sustainable access to agricultural inputs for Small Holder Farmers in CASCADE implementing communities, CASCADE Nigeria organized a 3-day Agricultural Inputs Supply Workshop from 20th to 22nd March 2024 in Bauchi State.

Social Norms and Nutritional Realities: The tells from Lira and Karamoja, Uganda

Social norms play a significant role in shaping dietary behaviors and food production practices within communities. On the 21st and 22nd of February, CASCADE embarked on a focus group discussion with women of reproductive age and caregivers of children under 5 in Onyapo Oyere village, Ngetta sub-county, Lira City and Kangole Village, Karamoja.

Beyond Talk: CASCADE Nigeria’s Action Plan for Better Nutrition Governance

In an effort to enhance accountability and responsiveness in the delivery of Food and Nutrition Services, CASCADE Nigeria recently conducted stakeholder engagements in Nasarawa, Jigawa, and Kebbi States from February 21st to March 6th, 2024. The aim? To fortify Quality Improvement (QI) systems.

A Spotlight on International Women’s Day 2024 with CASCADE Project

March 8th marked yet another powerful International Women’s Day (IWD), an occasion dedicated to honouring women’s achievements globally while advocating for gender equity and women’s empowerment. Let’s journey through the CASCADE project lens to witness how six countries uniquely commemorated this significant day.

Nourishing a sustainable future for communities: CASCADE Kenya

In Kenya, CASCADE is implemented across three counties: Nairobi, Nakuru, and Nyandarua, with the overall goal of strengthening the implementation of key policies aligned with nutrition.

FG approves CASCADE programme to improve nutrition for women, children U-5

The website ‘Nigerian Tribune’ published an article about CASCADE.

Nourishing a Sustainable Future: CASCADE’s strategy to improve resilience in the face of climate change

For too long, the interlinkages among nutrition, food systems and climate crises have been ignored, with responses and approaches to address them designed in a siloed manner. We cannot continue to operate with such siloed vision.

CASCADE (CAtalyzing Strengthened policy aCtion for heAlthy Diets and resiliencE)