Food and Nutrition Security, Enhanced Resilience Plus (FANSER+) / Thematic Advisors – SILC & Local Economic Empowerment with national experience

Background and Rationale

Zambia faces significant development challenges, with 60% of its population living below the national poverty line and rural poverty rates reaching 79%. Despite progress over the past two decades, malnutrition remains a major concern: over one-third of Zambian children are stunted, and the majority of households cannot afford a healthy diet.

The BMZ-funded FANSER+ project builds on the successes of its predecessor, aiming to improve the nutritional situation and resilience of poor rural households, particularly women and young children, in Eastern and Luapula provinces. FANSER+ distinguishes itself by prioritizing the active involvement and capacity building of government structures to ensure sustainable, government-led implementation of nutrition and gender-transformative approaches.

Objectives

1. Increased the number of women of reproductive age meeting the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDDW) standard.
2. Improved meal frequency and diversity for infants and young children, aligning with the Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD) standard.
3. Supported thousands of households in expanding agricultural production to include climate-resilient and nutrient-rich crops and foods.
4. Strengthened women’s participation in household nutrition decisions, as reflected in the Household Decision Making Index. (Note: This indicator has been flagged for future revision due to inconclusive baseline data.)
5. Enabled government representatives to enhance nutrition-related policies and services through multisectoral coordination.

Tasks of the expert

• Overseeing the recruitment, training, and certification of Saving and Internal Learning Communities (SILC) Field Agents (FAs) and their transition to Private Service Providers (PSPs).
• Supporting the formation and growth of SILC groups, with a strong focus on inclusion, self-management, and sustainability.
• Embedding financial literacy and gender-transformative elements into SILC training content and delivery.
• Strengthening linkages between SILC and Care Group activities to promote joint financial and health decision-making.
• Supporting the use of SILC monitoring tools and coordinating with the M&E officer to track progress.
• Documenting good practices and contributing to scale-up strategies that are responsive to provincial contexts.