Home and village prepared weaning foods project

A project to assist countries with the development of home- and village-based weaning foods has been initiated by the MIT/Harvard International Food and Nutrition Program (IFNP) through a three-year grant from USDA/USAID. Its purpose is to provide assistance to developing countries and private voluntary organizations for the development and promotion of locally produced food supplements for weaning-age children and pregnant and lactating women.

Although the project's goals are broad in scope, they focus on:

- Collection and dissemination of information about the best local approach to improving the feeding of weaning-age children and expectant or breastfeeding women. An archive of literature in the field is being assembled which will be available to countries and programmes through a computerized printout of abstracted literature, review summaries, and reports of successful programmes.

- Provision of technical expertise in response to requests for assistance in designing, implementing, and evaluating programmes that will improve the nutritional status of weaning-age children and pregnant and lactating women. Specific requests will be met by consultants selected from an international panel.

- Demonstration of practical ways of integrating such programmes into local health programmes using local personnel and resources and appropriate technology. Responses to appropriate requests at no charge. For further information, contact: Dr. Gretchen Berggren, International Food and Nutrition Program, MIT 20A-201, Cambridge, Mass. 02139, USA.