An estimated 4.5 million children in Southeast Asia and Pacific suffer from wasting every year, despite economic growth. Ambitious policies and plans to scale up interventions to address wasting have been developed, but translation of policies into service delivery remains unacceptably low. Treatment of SAM is a relatively new health system service in the region, but it is essential in the continued efforts to reduce stunting in the region to reduce the possibilities of silos and missed opportunities.
Action Against Hunger (AAH) teamed up with Savica as part of an assignment from UNICEF’s Regional Bureau in Bangkok for a comprehensive analysis of community health systems in Indonesia, while other consultants did the same in Cambodia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. This analysis aimed to gain understanding pf the different mechanisms currently operating, their services, coverage, functionality, and effectiveness. The study aimed to inform decision-making around community cadres and platforms best positioned to scale up wasting services, alongside existing services and approaches for nutrition specific intervention and stunting reduction.
