Thousand days

Briefs

Photo of a group of adolescents smiling and huddling together to pose.

The first 1,000 days, the period between the start of a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday, is the most critical time in life for growth and development and also the most...

A grandmother helps her young granddaughter eat her food with a spoon.

During 2014–2017, SPRING undertook four surveys in the target areas to gain knowledge on the current status of a range of indicators related to the nutrition practices among women and...

Location: Kyrgyz Republic
Photo of a mother smiling as she carries her baby on her back.

Working with the nutrition, WASH, and agriculture sectors in selected communities, we devised a plan to deliver an integrated package of products, services, and information from all three...

Location: Ghana
A young girl washes her hands at a tippy tap.

In line with global programming, SPRING’s stunting and anemia reduction efforts focus on the segment of the lifecyclecalled the “first 1,000 days,” which encompasses pregnancy and the child...

Location: Ghana

Reports

Photo of a mother holding her child wrapped in a blanket on her back.

During our three years of implementation, SPRING/Ghana carried out a successful multi-sectoral program to improve nutrition within the 15 districts of the Upper East and Northern regions...

A woman crouching with a hajol.

The study looked at spillover effects in 16 focus group discussions (FGDs) in 15 villages across 4 districts. The findings from the FGDs show that at least 8–10 households around each...

News

Photo of a group of women.

SPRING presented at the 1,000 Days Advocacy Working Group Meeting on six years of work highlighting gender equity for improved nutrition.

Photo of men and women reaching out and cutting a blue ceremonial ribbon.

SPRING's partnerships with local NGOs to promote UNICEF's IYCF Package, paired with evidence of its effectiveness, spurs government uptake beyond the life of the project

Thumbnail image of the group photo of meeting attendees.

In collaboration with UNICEF and the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health, SPRING carried out an evaluation of the Community Infant and Young Child Feeding (C-IYCF) Counselling Package in...

Photo of the group at the BFHI awards ceremony, four people smile and pose holding a large plaque. Caption: At-Bashy FMC is awarded BFHI certification. (pictured left to right) Jarkyn  Ibraeva, Deputy Governor of Naryn oblast, Nurgul Ibraeva Senior Specialist of MOH, Nurdin Aliev Director of At-Bashy FMC, and Sadat Sattarova Head of Save the Children International Kyrgyzstan office.

USAID, Ministry of Health, and oblast government representatives attended the BFHI award ceremony for three facilities in Jalalabad on January 31, 2018. On the same day, MOH and oblast...

Roundtable participants stand in a line and smile at the camera

SPRING/Kyrgyz Republic hosted a round table event to disseminate findings from a series of four surveys, including gains in nutrition outcome indicators.

A woman holding her baby stands in a dusty field.

SPRING/Ghana is maximizing chances for achieving more results from its multi-sectoral nutrition programs by prioritizing implementation in LEAP 1,000 communities.

Mariam Sy, SPRING/Senegal Nutrition Advisor, holds a microphone on stage in both hands and addresses the crowd gathered.

SPRING/Senegal co-organized a social mobilization event in Dinguiraye to raise awareness on how environmental hygiene can prevent malaria.

OFSP_MTMSG members in Tatale District display their Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) yields

SPRING/Ghana is promoting the cultivation and consumption of OFSP and fortified maize as a way of improving vitamin A consumption among 1,000 day households.

DATA training of trainers participants

SPRING/Ghana conducted a training of trainers workshop for district-level trainers to implement the District Assessment Tool for Anemia.

Nathan Park, center, poses with SPRING volunteers and trainers after a session on methods of long term storage and preservation of nutritious foods at home.

Deputy Mission Director Nathan Park visited SPRING activity sites in Kok-Jangak rayon, where he participated in a training on home-based storage of nutritious foods, and joined a home visit...

Farmers from Mother to Mother Support Group of the Gbeozua Community, Bawku West District, Upper East Region, share their joy at the result of adopting SPRING’s program that introduced vitamin A enriched maize for cultivation in order to improve the diet of the 1,000 day households.

SPRING/Ghana hosted a visit from USAID/Ghana and USAID/ DC staff to program sites on November 1–2, 2016.

Students wash their hands at tippy taps

In October 2016, SPRING/Bangladesh celebrated Global Handwashing Day with over 100 community activities.

Presenting on the 1,000 Day Window of Opportunity

In partnership with the Ministry of Health’s Republican Center for Health Promotion, SPRING trained media representatives on how to better promote nutrition.

Galleries

Photo of two people posing with a large plaque. USAID Health Project Management Specialist Aisha Zhorobekova presents the BFHI certification plaque to Abdulbaki Yrysbekov, Director of Karakul General Medicine Practice Center in Jalalabad oblast.

USAID, Ministry of Health, and oblast government representatives attended the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) award ceremony for three facilities in Jalalabad on January 31, 2018....

Ziba Dokurugu, SPRING Agriculture Advisor, explaining our aflatoxin management work with Farmer Field Schools to visitors at the agriculture table at the event

SPRING/Ghana held a learning and sharing event to reflect on implementation successes and recommendations.

Presenting ideas at the training

In partnership with the Ministry of Health’s Republican Center for Health Promotion, SPRING trained 32 members of national media on how to better promote nutrition during a two-day Media...

Success Stories

Mst. Nurunnahar provides messages on handwashing practices and dietary diversity during her session.

Mst. Nurunnahar, the sub-assistant agriculture officer for the Department of Agricultural Extension in Babuganj upazila, has always been proud of her work, but before 2012, she did not view...

A woman picks okra in her field.

Identifying a need for better hygiene in Yiziidug, in 2016, SPRING introduced community-led total sanitation (CLTS) to Yiziidug.

A man stands outside a round latrine structure with a thatched roof.

Residents of the Toroyili community of Ghana’s Tolon District now regularly practice the good hygiene they need for better nutrition and health. But that wasn’t always the case.

Videos

Animated mother peacefully breastfeeds her baby

SPRING/Kyrgyz Republic works with media partners to develop and share videos on key nutrition messages across the country. This video explains the importance of the first 1,000 days to a...

Keywords: Thousand days
Location: Kyrgyz Republic
Pregnant mother and father visit the doctor's office and the doctor gives them supplements for the mother.

SPRING/Kyrgyz Republic works with media partners to develop and share videos on key nutrition messages across the country. This video explains the importance of the first 1,000 days to a...

Keywords: Thousand days
Location: Kyrgyz Republic

Job Aids and Tools

Энелердин толук кандуу тамактануусу балдардын өсүүсүнүн жана өнүгүшүнүн кепилдиги

SPRING has developed a booklet for mothers about the 1,000 Day Window of Opportunity, from pregnancy up to the child’s second birthday, the period when life-long physical and cognitive...

Series

The evaluators discussing the package

SPRING has partnered with UNICEF, the the Federal Ministry of Health of Nigeria, the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, and the Kajuru local government area to evaluate the community based...

Pages

Resource Review Summaries

This book, which is free to download at the link below, examines the first 1,000 days and the impact of exposure to malnutrition, environmental enteropathies, and hormonal and other...

Drawing upon the combined analytical skills of agriculture and nutrition program staff, this tool supports a dialogue between agriculture specialists and nutrition specialists as they...

In his new book, journalist Roger Thurow tells stories of mothers and babies worldwide to explore the effort to end childhood malnutrition. Thurow highlights the importance of proper...

This #AskAg Twitter Chat featured a conversation on linking agriculture and nutrition with USAID, the 1000 Days Initiative, and the SPRING Project. Experts from each organization provided...