Oyo Scales Nutrition Interventions as Save the Children and Action Against Hunger Partnerships Take Root

As the first term concluded in May 2023, the partnership with Save the Children had matured into a state-wide service delivery model. Under the ANRiN project, for which the Oyo State Government paid a consistent annual commitment fund of N50 million, Save the Children became responsible for delivering a "Basic Package of Nutrition Services" in seventeen (17) specific local government areas. 

These services included the distribution of Vitamin A, deworming tablets, and zinc/ORS for diarrhea management. By early 2023, it was reported that these interventions had reached thousands of vulnerable children, stabilizing nutrition indices that had been on the decline prior to 2019.

Throughout 2022, the state moved to deepen the integration of these programs with Local Government Ministries. The Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board (OYPHCB) collaborated with these international partners to train hundreds of Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) across the state. 

This period also saw the successful adoption of the National Multisectoral Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition at the state level. Action Against Hunger provided critical technical support during this phase, helping the state to map out its "wasting" prevalence and identify the most vulnerable wards for targeted intervention.

The foundational steps for these partnerships were laid in the first two years of the administration, but the actual procurement and engagement of Save the Children as a primary implementation partner did not conclude until May 2021. 

This delay was largely due to the rigorous selection process required by international funding partners and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, once instituted, the programs became a central part of the state’s strategy to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health outcomes across its local government structures by the end of the 2019–2023 mandate.