SAPLING

Since September 30, 2015, Helen Keller Intl has led the USAID-funded Sustainable Agriculture and Production Linked to Improved Nutrition Status, Resilience, and Gender Equity, (SAPLING) Resilience Food Security Activity to improve gender equitable food security, nutrition and resilience in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region of Bangladesh, in five upazilas (sub-districts) of Bandarban District. The SAPLING consortium includes Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Caritas Bangladesh, iDE, and three local non-governmental organizations: GRAUS, Tahzingdong and Toymu. SAPLING engages pregnant and lactating women, and children under two, communities, government and traditional institutions through interconnected pathways that build livelihoods assets, improve health and nutrition, improve disaster risk management, and increase resilience, gender equality and social inclusion, at all levels. Read more about programmatic approaches and project results in the SAPLING Program Overview as well as the following activity briefs:

• SAPLING Approach: Family Nutrition Centers
• SAPLING Approach: Income Generating Activities
• SAPLING Approach: Savings and Internal Lending Communities
• SAPLING Approach: Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN)
• SAPLING Approach: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
• SAPLING Approach: Disaster Risk Management
• Intervention Highlight: Community Disaster Response Teams
• SAPLING Approach: Women’s Empowerment
• SAPLING Approach: Youth Empowerment
• Intervention Highlight: Red Crescent Youth
• Intervention Highlight: Learning Corps Fellows
• SAPLING Impact Brief: Program Overview

While COVID-19 risks and government mandated mitigation measures implemented since March 2020 have heavily impacted SAPLING participants and their communities, the project’s hyper-local approach allowed us to quickly pivot to support COVID-19 response and adapt existing activities to ensure continued support to participants. For example, SAPLING’s strategy has always involved multiple mechanisms to reach remote communities and share program activities – check out the videos below to learn more:

• WASHwithUS Campaign: Handwashing Demonstration
• WASHwithUS Campaign: Setup and Use of Tippy-Taps
• Adapting to COVID-19: Savings and Internal Lending Communities
• Red Crescent Youth Volunteers: Responding to the Pandemic & Other Disasters

Research and Learning

The Bandarban District of the Chittagong Hill Tracts is a diverse and remote mountainous area, home to 11 ethnic minority groups and Bengalis. SAPLING has conducted extensive research to ensure locally contextualized project design and ensure high quality implementation. Please see summary briefs and related research reports below for more details on how assessment results have been used to inform and adapt project activities.

Access to Health Services

• Research Brief: Community Clinic Assessment in Bandarban District
• Research Report: Community Clinic Assessment

Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Practices

• Research Brief: Barrier Analyses for Exclusive Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding
• Research Report: Barrier Analysis for Exclusive Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding
• Research Brief: Infant Food Consumption Survey
• Research Report: Infant Food Consumption Survey
• Research Brief: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Analysis of Challenges
• Research Brief: Value Chain and Market Governance Assessment

Understanding Chittagong Hill Tracts communities

• Research Brief: Household Census and Wellbeing Analysis
• Research Report: Household Census and Wellbeing Analysis Report
• Research Brief: Qualitative Formative Research
• Research Report: Qualitative Formative Research
• Research Brief: Geospatial Modeling
• Research Brief: COVID-19 Assessment

Success Stories

In the face of significant challenges in this relatively isolated and disaster-prone area, with SAPLING technical support and guidance, communities engaged by the project have made remarkable strides in supporting and protecting the health and wellbeing of their households. Please see below for a selection of participant stories.

• SAPLING Success Story: Breastfeeding
• SAPLING Success Story: Community Health Service Workers
• SAPLING Success Story: Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
• SAPLING Success Story: Improving Yields for Household Food Production
• SAPLING Success Story: Production Aggregation Points

Implemented in partnership with: