DRAFT - TOR 11 June 2014
Nutrition Information Working Group
Nutrition Cluster, South Sudan
1. Background
The South Sudan became a new country as of July 9, 2011. The Country faces various
challenges in different sectors of health, nutrition, food security and water and sanitation.
From nutrition point of view, acute malnutrition in both its moderate and severe forms continues
to be a problem of public health significance in South Sudan in view of its direct underlying
relationship to increased risk of severe illness and death in young children and also its
deleterious effects on overall child growth and development. The situation is further
compounded by high levels of micronutrients (vitamin and mineral) deficiencies and factors such
as food insecurity and poor hygiene and sanitation conditions, which predispose children to the
vicious cycle of malnutrition, infection and poor overall growth. The magnitude of malnutrition, its
extent and chronic nature poses a big challenge towards efforts to improve overall health and
development in a country, already characterized by high levels of childhood malnutrition in all
categories. In general, there is lack of a clear understanding of the level and causes of the
nutrition problem across all the 10 states in South Sudan.
For this reason, the nutrition cluster organized a Nutrition Information WG to provide technical
support in streamlining of nutrition survey planning, implementation, information management
and reporting.
2. Main objectives of the TWG
2.1. Planning Functions:
 Determine and share with partners the pre-harvest/lean period and post-harvest
periods in South Sudan
 Development of seasonal matrix on counties where nutrition survey to be
conducted
 Technical support to partners in planning for surveys; (includes review of plans &
pre-survey meeting with agencies as necessary)
 Technical support to the cluster and IMO on changing the tool and indicators.
 How the reporting rates can be increased.
2.2. Development and sharing of documents:
 Guidance note on SMART nutrition surveys to be reviewed & updated periodically,
based on global updates and practical experience from conducting surveys here in
SS
 Standardized questionnaire for SMART nutrition survey
 Standardized questionnaires for other modules (health, mortality, food security,
WASH & IFYC)
 Data-entry template for food security, WASH & IYCF
 Harmonized KAP survey questionnaires and guidance
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 Additional guidance notes on surveys for IDP, Refugees and mixed communities
 Standardized rapid assessment guidance note and reporting format for various
population IDP, refugees, returnees, including guidance on sampling
methodologies for rapid MUAC screening
 Agree on standardized methodology and questionnaire for conducting causal
analysis of nutrition in the country
 In collaboration with other cluster develop joint survey/assessment tools/formats
and conduct joint surveys.
 In collaboration with other cluster develop the reporting tool for Nutrition cluster
which will be aligned to the DHIS and Health cluster tools.
 Ensure that analysis from the data coming in from partners is analyzed and shared
with the cluster partners on regular basis.
2.3. Training on nutrition survey, Reporting tool (TOT):
 Identify training needs/gaps on surveys and reporting tools
 Plan and provide/coordinate appropriate SMART survey training at country, state
and county levels; (oversight of training conducted)
 Plan and provide/coordinate appropriate Information Management trainings at
County, State and National level.
2.4. Ensuring quality of nutrition surveys:
 Establish and implement a transparent and rigorous validation process to
undertake quality-check of nutrition survey data-bases and reports and ensure
consistency and an acceptable level of methodological rigor.
 Provide individual feed-back for partners on validation of data sets and reports
 Conduct workshop on pre-harvest and postharvest survey results for
dissemination of lesson learning from the process
2.5. Ensuring quality of partner reports:
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Establish a group of Information Managers to do a technical analysis of the data
coming in from partners
Provide feedback on the Reporting tools and how they can be modified to ensure
better quality data.
2.6. Survey information management:
 Ensure timely compilation of and dissemination of nutrition survey results and
analysis including mapping of overview of GAM and SAM by county and graphs
of Gam and Sam by state level (routine IM function) to nutrition cluster and other
interested stakeholder (other clusters, UN and donor agencies)
 Ensure data base / respiratory of survey results is kept updated (routine IM
function)
 Support state clusters in dissemination of validated surveys & use of results in
nutrition program planning
2.7. Monitoring Functions:
 Ensure appropriate nutrition survey monitoring mechanisms are in place
 Provide supports in monitoring of surveys
 Ensure that the monitoring Matrix is updated every month.
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
Ensuring and motivating all the partners in complying to reporting formats and
reporting deadlines.
2.8. Liaison and Coordination Functions:
 Coordinate with nutrition actors within the sector, to ensure nutrition surveys that
are conducted are timely and relevant/appropriate
 Maintain appropriate survey related links with national and local authorities, state
institutions, local civil society and other relevant actors and ensure appropriate
coordination and information exchange with them;
 Coordinate/participate whenever emergency response in surveys is required
 Represent the cluster in discussions with survey related issues on humanitarian
coordination meetings.
 Coordinate and liase with partners who are not reporting regularly to encourage
them on reporting.
2.9. Information Management Function:
 Standardizing the DHIS with nutrition indicators and align it with Monthly reporting
tool of Nutrition Cluster.
 Align Monthly Nutrition Reporting Format and database with the changing needs
and indicators.
 Review the monitoring framework on regular basis to establish the progress.
 Suggest different kinds of Analysis of the data which is being collected by the
Nutrition Reporting Tool.
 Review IEC materials to be printed for advocacy.
 Making use of open forums such as Google docs to get reviews from and get
surveys done on cluster performance.
 Work on cluster IM strategy to be in place.
2.10. Advocacy for:
 Development of Government guidelines for Nutrition surveys/assessments for
South Sudan
 That a National Nutrition Survey should be conducted (need further
discussion/clarity on what should be included in this survey)
 Advocate for appropriate funding for conducting surveys
 Advocate for funding for supportive supervision for surveys
 More involvement of MOH in ownership of surveys
 Advocate on revising the indicators for reporting if there is a need.
3. Formulation of the TWG
The TWG will be composed of technical staff representing the nutrition partners in South
Sudan and should include individuals with technical expertise in surveys and Information
Management from UN agencies (UNICEF, WFP & OCHA), MOH/RSS, NGOs and private
consultants. Also Centre for Statistics for Planning
The members of the TWG will be endorsed during the Cluster Partners or by SAG and
will be reviewed periodically to ensure that there is an appropriate mix of skills.
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There will be rotating membership of TWG under SAG guidance
For validation process it is essential to have key technical experts with solid survey,
Information management and statistical background.

Need to clarify how many people are required for validation
FSL, WASH, Health Cluster representatives should be involved in analysis aspect
following validation.
4. Accountability
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Performance accountability benchmarks for TWG to be determined
The NIWG is accountable to the Strategic Advisory Group of the Nutrition Cluster
and will report back to SAG periodically
The NIWG also provides reports on activity and accomplishments to Nutrition
partners during cluster coordination meetings.
4. Meetings
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Regular TWG meetings to take place in the pre survey planning and post survey
validation period (every two weeks)
Regular meeting to take place in changing the reporting tool perhaps every week.
Any other issue?
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