09/08/2026
NOURISH CROSS RIVER
PHASE 3 IMPLEMENTATION REPORT
Akpabuyo Local Government Area & Ongoing Cross River State Interventions
Project: NOURISH Cross River (NOURISH CR)
Current Phase: Phase 3
Location: Akpabuyo Local Government Area, Cross River State
Implementation Status: Ongoing — 5th Ward reached and still counting
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1. Executive Summary
NOURISH Cross River continues to implement its integrated community development interventions across Cross River State, with Akpabuyo Local Government Area serving as a major area of implementation.
The project is currently in Phase 3, building on the achievements and lessons from previous phases. Implementation has progressively expanded across communities and wards, and the team has now reached the 5th Ward in Akpabuyo LGA and is still counting.
Through its five key programs, NOURISH CR is taking interventions directly to vulnerable populations, addressing nutrition and health, agriculture and food security, education and learning support, maternal and infant nutrition, and community development/social behaviour change.
A major outcome of the implementation so far is the identification of over 50 malnourished children through community-based screening and active case finding. This highlights the significant level of unmet nutrition needs within vulnerable communities and reinforces the importance of bringing nutrition services closer to households.
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2. Phase 3 Implementation Focus
Phase 3 is focused on:
Expanding NOURISH CR's geographical coverage
Strengthening community-based nutrition and health services
Early identification of malnutrition
Treatment, referral and follow-up of vulnerable children
Empowering farmers and improving food security
Supporting vulnerable children in education
Improving maternal, infant and young child nutrition
Strengthening community participation and behaviour change
Improving monitoring, documentation and impact assessment
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3. Akpabuyo LGA Implementation
5 Wards Reached — and Still Counting
NOURISH CR has progressively expanded its implementation across Akpabuyo LGA.
The project has now reached its 5th Ward, demonstrating the team's commitment to expanding beyond individual community interventions and establishing a broader ward-level impact.
Documented implementation locations include:
Idebe Village
Atim Assam Community
Ikot Uba Village
Ikot Nnakanda Village
Other communities within the wards currently being reached
The expansion remains ongoing.
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4. Nutrition Screening & Malnutrition Response
Nutrition is one of the major pillars of NOURISH CR.
Through community nutrition screening, active case finding and household-level engagement, the team has so far identified over 50 malnourished children in the communities reached.
Identified children are being assessed and connected to appropriate interventions, including:
Nutrition support
Treatment
Referral to health facilities
Follow-up
Caregiver education
Monitoring of nutrition outcomes
A chronic malnutrition case was also identified in Ikot Nnakanda, demonstrating the importance of active community-level case finding.
The growing number of cases identified further emphasizes the need for sustained nutrition interventions and stronger community-based treatment and referral systems.
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5. Medical Outreach & Active Case Finding
The NOURISH CR medical component continues to bring basic healthcare and health education closer to underserved communities.
A documented medical outreach reached 105 persons, with the team providing health assessments, treatment, health education and active case finding.
Activities include:
General medical assessment
Active case finding
Nutrition assessment
Health education
Identification of vulnerable individuals
Treatment of appropriate cases
Referral of cases requiring additional care
The medical team works alongside the nutrition and community development teams to provide an integrated response.
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6. Maternal, Infant & Young Child Nutrition
NOURISH CR continues to prioritize pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, caregivers and young children, with emphasis on the critical first 1,000 days.
Community education has addressed:
Nutrition during pregnancy
Maternal dietary practices
Breastfeeding
Infant and young child feeding
Appropriate complementary feeding
Prevention of childhood malnutrition
Early identification of nutrition problems
In Atim Assam Community, maternal nutrition education was delivered to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
In Ikot Uba, health and nutrition education was also delivered during the medical outreach by healthcare professionals, including a midwife and registered nurse.
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7. Agriculture & Food Security
The NOURISH CR agriculture intervention is supporting vulnerable farmers with essential agricultural inputs while promoting household food security and livelihood resilience.
105 farmers have been empowered across 5 wards in Akpabuyo LGA.
The intervention seeks to improve:
Agricultural productivity
Household food availability
Farmer livelihoods
Food security
Community resilience
The project will continue expanding its agricultural empowerment activities to additional wards as implementation progresses.
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8. Education & Learning Support
Education remains an important component of NOURISH CR's integrated approach.
During implementation in Idebe Village, 61 children were reached with education support and provided with school kits.
The intervention supports vulnerable children by reducing barriers to education and promoting continued participation in learning.
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9. Community Development & Social Behaviour Change
NOURISH CR recognizes that sustainable improvements in health and nutrition require active participation from communities.
Community-level activities therefore include:
Community mobilization
Health and nutrition education
Behaviour change communication
Caregiver engagement
Stakeholder engagement
Identification of vulnerable households
Referral and linkage to services
Community ownership of interventions
The objective is to empower communities to become active participants in solving their health, nutrition and development challenges.
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10. Malnutrition Treatment Centre
A significant milestone from the implementation has been the approval by the Cross River State Government of a site in Idebe Village for the operation of a Malnutrition Treatment Centre serving the Southern Senatorial District.
This is an important step toward strengthening access to appropriate malnutrition treatment closer to vulnerable communities.
The proposed centre will contribute to:
Early detection
Treatment
Referral
Follow-up
Improved access to nutrition services
Strengthening the community-to-facility referral pathway
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11. The Five Key NOURISH CR Programs
Phase 3 implementation continues through five interconnected program areas:
1. Nutrition & Health
Prevention, screening, early detection, treatment and referral of nutrition and health conditions.
2. Agriculture & Food Security
Farmer empowerment, agricultural support and strengthening household food security.
3. Education & Learning Support
Supporting vulnerable children with educational opportunities and learning resources.
4. Maternal, Infant & Young Child Nutrition
Improving nutrition among pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, infants and young children.
5. Community Development & Social Behaviour Change
Strengthening communities through mobilization, education, behaviour change and community participation.
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12. Implementation Model
NOURISH CR uses an integrated community-based approach.
The project recognizes that malnutrition and poor health are often connected to several factors, including food insecurity, inadequate nutrition knowledge, limited access to healthcare, poverty and educational challenges.
The NOURISH CR model therefore connects:
Nutrition + Health + Food Security + Education + Community Development
This allows the project to address immediate needs while also working toward longer-term improvements in household and community wellbeing.
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13. Phase 3 Progress Snapshot
Indicator Progress
Current project phase Phase 3
Akpabuyo wards reached 5th Ward and counting
Farmers empowered 105 across 5 wards
Children reached with education support 61
Persons reached through documented medical outreach 105
Malnourished children identified Over 50
Chronic malnutrition case Identified in Ikot Nnakanda
Maternal nutrition education Ongoing
Medical outreach Ongoing
Agriculture empowerment Ongoing
Community mobilization Ongoing
Five key programs Ongoing across Cross River State
Malnutrition Treatment Centre Site approved at Idebe
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14. Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
As Phase 3 progresses, NOURISH CR will continue strengthening data collection and monitoring around:
Communities and wards reached
Children screened
Malnutrition cases identified
Children enrolled for treatment
Treatment and recovery outcomes
Referrals made and completed
Pregnant women reached
Breastfeeding mothers reached
Farmers empowered
Children receiving education support
Medical beneficiaries
Community participation
Behaviour-change outcomes
Follow-up results
The data generated will provide evidence for measuring impact, identifying gaps and guiding future expansion.
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15. Looking Ahead
NOURISH CR has moved from individual community interventions toward a broader multi-ward implementation model.
From Idebe to Atim Assam, Ikot Uba, Ikot Nnakanda and other communities, the team continues to take interventions directly to the people.
With Phase 3 currently underway, the 5th Ward reached in Akpabuyo and expansion continuing, and over 50 malnourished children already identified, the need for the program is becoming increasingly evident.
The five key NOURISH CR programs also remain ongoing across Cross River State, with continued efforts to expand reach and strengthen impact.
We are reaching more communities.
We are identifying more vulnerable children.
We are empowering more families.
We are strengthening communities.
And we are still counting.
NOURISH CR
Building Healthier Communities, One Life at a Time.
