The national Department of Social Development this week published a Terms of Reference for the Appointment of a Service Provider for the Implementation of the Household Food and Nutrition Security Programme for 2015/16.
The purpose of the TOR is “solicit proposals from NPOs to facilitate implementation of an integrated Household Food and Nutrition Security Programme for the Department of Social Development in the financial year 2015/16 in the Northern Cape Province”.
One of the desired programme outcomes is to decrease severe malnutrition among children under five years. This objective is included among broader household food security and production objective.
Below is the envisaged methodology for achieving the project goals:
- Establishment of a Provincial Food Distribution Centre and an integrated provincial coordination forum which would appear to be responsible for driving the establishment of the food distribution centre.
- Support the development, management and development of a data base of community food depots.
- Bulk procurement and project administration.
The deliverables thus focus on a specific strategy and food delivery model – provincial and community food distribution centres.
The project is conceptualised within, and will presumably be implemented within the framework of the governing National Food and Nutrition Security Policy and Household Food and Nutrition Strategy. Given previous concerns expressed in the April edition of the Policy Post about the inadequacy of these guiding documents vis-à-vis the food and nutritional needs of young children, similar concerns arise with regards to the likelihood or ability of the narrow TORs to contribute meaningfully to decrease severe malnutrition among young children.
Neither of the two governing documents make any mention of, nor address the findings of the national ECD food and nutrition policy review which was commissioned by the Department of Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation. The essence of the review findings was that our national food security programmes are not sensitive or responsive to the needs of young children – a factor contributing to the very high and increasing levels of malnutrition and stunting among children under the age of three in the country. The documents provide no guidance on what measures should be taken to ensure young-child sensitive strategies and interventions.
The ECD sector in the country and the Northern Cape should take heed and ensure that there is close engagement with the DSD and the implementing NGO so as to ensure the necessary levels of technical support and guidance to make optimal use of this opportunity to strengthen food and nutrition security for young children in the country.
Moreover, given the prioritisation within the draft national ECD policy of the need to develop effective young child sensitive interventions, there should be close cooperation with the DSD’s ECD directorate in the selection of the service provider and in the ongoing support provided to the relevant service provider. The TOR indicates that a project steering committee, made up of a number of line function and supporting directorates, will be established to evaluate the proposals and provide ongoing support. The TOR lists a number of directorates: the ECD directorate is not listed as one of the proposed steering committee members. This should be remedied as a matter of urgency.
The Policy Post is written by Patricia Martin, the director of Advocacy Aid, a consultancy that provides advocacy support to the development sector. Patricia has worked as a child rights advocate and policy analyst for more than a decade and has a special interest in ECD policy and programme development and monitoring.
