CARE Nutrition and Child Health Team Program Review

The Child Health and Nutrition (CHAN) program seeks to protect, promote, and support optimal growth and development for children under five to ensure their best chance for survival. The program began an internal review in Spring 2008, in a context of strategic shifts as traditional program funders (decreases from USAID and a significant grant from a private foundation) and as CARE as a whole moved to a rights-based approach to its mission. The first stage of the program review was a detailed review of program documents, interviews with key stakeholders and analysis of data that emerged from that activity. The team then used this information as the basis for defining its mission and strategic objectives. While the focus of the CHAN continues to be improving nutrition and survival for children under five, the newly defined goal and strategic objectives require fairly significant shifts in program and operations for the NCH team. In addition, new people bringing related (but different) expertise and interests are joining the team. Next steps in the program review process are to operationalize the plan by (a) identifying terms of reference for implementation (including stakeholder roles and responsibilities, resource and quality plans, work breakdown structure and target milestones, and contingencies) and (b) agreeing on the most appropriate structure and management strategies to going forward. This will include a staff retreat in Atlanta, (2) input and review at a meeting with field staff in Bali scheduled for July; (3) finalization of strategies and establishment of accountability structures; and (4) a framework for process evaluation (e.g., evaluation as a tool for learning and growth) over the course of implementation.

Fanning Institute is providing facilitation and technical assistance for Steps 3 and 4 of the Program Review including: (a) supporting team leadership in the development of leadership and management strategies; (b) designing and facilitating a process to obtain staff input; (c) working with staff leadership to translate this input into an action plan; and (d) providing recommendations for follow-on activities.