On July 12, 2021, USAID Advancing Nutrition launched a new country office in Burkina Faso. USAID Advancing Nutrition Chief of Party Sidi Coulibaly chaired the event, which included remarks from Burkina Faso’s Minister of Health Prof. Charlemagne Ouedraogo. The launch ceremony was well-attended by the United States Ambassador to Burkina Faso Sandra Clark, representatives from the USAID Mission in Burkina Faso including the USAID Advancing Nutrition Activity Manager Dr. Abdoul Karim and USAID Country Representative Cory Johnston, UNICEF representatives, and other nutrition stakeholders. The event was covered by national public and private media, and a video recording of the launch ceremony was posted to the Burkina Faso Ministry of Health Facebook page.

The project will work with the Government of Burkina Faso and The National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) to reduce micronutrient deficiencies and the prevalence of undernutrition in children under 5 years of age by providing direct technical assistance for multi-sectoral nutrition coordination; monitoring, evaluation, and learning; and social and behavior change (SBC). USAID Advancing Nutrition will also support nutrition governance, policy, and advocacy initiatives at the national level. Some of the planned activities include a training on results-based management, the development of a glossary of technical nutrition terminology, and a review of the Nutrition Directorate’s SBC infant and young child feeding strategy. The work will be conducted in the South West, Center West, and Center East regions of the country.