Improving Nutrition through Community-Based Approaches in Bangladesh

Author(s): Gustavo Angeles, Shusmita Khan, Mizanur Rahman, Nitai Chakraborty, Sharad Bartaki, & Gabriela Escudero

Year: 2019

Abstract:

This document is the baseline survey report for the evaluation of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Bangladesh’s Improving Nutrition through Community-Based Approaches (INCA) activity. The evaluation is being conducted by the USAID-funded MEASURE Evaluation project at the request of USAID/Bangladesh, and is part of a larger set of monitoring and evaluation activities for the INCA project. INCA is a three-year effort to improve the nutritional status of women and children under age two in rural areas of 11 priority upazilas in the districts of Bhola, Laxmipur, and Noakhali. Caritas Bangladesh and United Purpose are implementing the project. It started in May 2017 and will be active through April 2020. Total funding is approximately USD$4.4 million.

The 2017 baseline survey is the first of two surveys to assess the performance and impact of INCA. The overall objectives of this external evaluation are (1) to inform USAID and other stakeholders about project achievements in terms of changes in key outcomes and impact at the target population level; (2) to learn about the effectiveness of the specific INCA intervention for eventual replication in other areas of the country; and (3) to inform the follow-up of the project.

The evaluation is based on a prospective, quasi-experimental, difference-in-differences (DID) design to assess project impact using data collected through representative household surveys in INCA intervention and comparison areas in this baseline survey, and a follow-up end line survey that will be implemented by the end of 2019. MEASURE Evaluation also conducted a short community survey during this baseline assessment and will repeat it in the end line survey to assess changes in health and nutrition service availability.