Alive & Thrive is a five-year (2009-2013) initiative to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices by
increasing rates of exclusive breastfeeding and improving complementary feeding practices. The time between birth
and age 24 months provides a unique window of opportunity to impact the long-term health and development of
children. Alive & Thrive aims to reach more than 16 million children under 2 years old in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and
Viet Nam and create program models that can be replicated worldwide.
Viet Nam has experienced significant economic growth in
the last decade, yet malnutrition persists. Currently, one in
three children under five years old is stunted. Data from
research completed by A&T in 2009 in select provinces
indicates that on average while most women breastfeed,
only 55 percent initiate breastfeeding within the first hour
and only 10 percent of infants under six months of age are
exclusively
breastfed
(receiving
breastmilk
only).
Complementary feeding practices are also inadequate:
semi-solid foods are introduced too early and are often of
poor quality.
Improving breastfeeding and complementary feeding
practices requires addressing sizable challenges in Viet
Nam, including:
 Perception among mothers, caregivers, health workers
and the general public that Vietnamese women cannot
produce sufficient breastmilk to initiate breastfeeding
early and exclusively breastfeed for six months.
 Early introduction of complementary foods that do not
fully meet infant nutritional requirements.
 Aggressive marketing and ready availability of infant
formula.
 Lack of support from family members and employers.
 Limited health worker commitment and skills to
encourage and support mothers to breastfeed.
Alive & Thrive is working with the Ministry of Health, the
National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Women’s Union and
provincial authorities to double the rate of exclusive
breastfeeding, improve the quality and quantity of complementary foods, and reduce stunting by two percent each
year. Alive & Thrive aims to achieve this through a combination of three strategies:
Policy engagement: Viet Nam has good national nutrition policies in place, but with a decentralizing government,
planning and investment decisions are increasingly made at the provincial level. A primary objective of the policy
dialogue is increased use of evidence for planning and implementation of IYCF activities, especially at the provincial
level. Alive & Thrive is also working with provincial authorities to identify opportunities to better integrate infant and
young child nutrition with other sectors and priorities and to effectively allocate increased resources to IYCF. In
addition, advocacy efforts include improving compliance with the national code of marketing of breastmilk substitutes
and engaging medical associations to counter widely held misconceptions and promote the importance of optimal
infant feeding practices.
Franchise model: Alive & Thrive is establishing a franchise system to
provide quality nutrition counseling to women and families at health
facilites at all levels. Implemented in cooperation with the Vietnamese
government and select private clinics, franchises will deliver a package
of focused IYCF counseling services to pregnant women, lactating
mothers and their families based on a franchise service package.
Focused training and capacity building for health care workers at all
levels will be undertaken to enable the health system to provide
franchise services. In remote areas, IYCF support groups will be the
model of choice instead of the franchise system. Individualized services
will be supported through mass media campaigns aimed at generating demand for franchise services and promoting
optimal IYCF practices. These will include the use of information communication technology to provide e- and telecounseling services.
Fortified complementary foods and related products: Alive & Thrive is engaging the private sector to develop
business models that ensure access to affordable, high quality IYCF food products that address key nutritional gaps in
infant diets. This will include working with local food manufacturers and pursuing opportunities to develop
micronutrient powders and lipid-based spreads.
While aiming to impact nutritional status in all 63 provinces of Viet Nam, more intensive capacity building and
provincial planning activities will take place in 5 cities (Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang) and
12 provinces (Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Quang Binh, Dak Lak, Dak
Nong, Tien Giang, Ca Mau and Vinh Long). A rigorous monitoring and evaluation effort will document lessons learned
to inform both national and international efforts to promote IYCF practices.The evaluation team will work closely with
the National Institute of Nutrition to track progress and measure results through annual surveillance exercises.
The initiative currently funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is implemented in Viet Nam by a consortium of
organizations including the Academy for Educational Development, Save the Children, the International Food Policy
Research Institute, University of California – Davis and GMMB.
Alive & Thrive Viet Nam
203-204, E4B Trung Tu Diplomatic Compound, No. 6 Dang Van Ngu Street, Hanoi
Tel: +84-4-3573 9066 / Fax: +84-4-3573 9063
www.aliveandthrive.org