The Ministry of Public Heath with support of UNICEF adopts the Rising Initiative, as national programme to promote nutrition and early childhood development in Lebanon

06 June 2024 - The Ministry of Public Health, in partnership with UNICEF, announced adoption of the RISING initiative as a national programme to address immediate and underlying causes of malnutrition and early childhood developmental deprivations and impairments among the most vulnerable children in Lebanon.

RISING, an initiative to help all children “rise” to reach their full growth and potential, relies on key essential nutrition and developmental interventions to promote adequate nurturing and responsive care practices, diets and nutrition, and child development services. Interventions will be implemented through multiple platforms including day care centres, Primary Health Care Centres, community outreach programs, kindergartens, and digital platforms to prevent and mitigate developmental and nutritional deprivations.

Minister of Public Health Dr Firas Abiad said: “The RISING national program is vital in reaching caregivers of children under five through various platforms, including home visitations. This new holistic approach encompasses both essential nutrition and early childhood development (ECD) services, empowering caregivers to ensure the optimal growth of children”.

“A child's early brain development is crucial, with nutrition playing a significant role. Exposure to risk factors like poor care and malnutrition can profoundly affect children's growth and development across generations,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative in Lebanon. “Growth and development are very inter-connected, hence protecting optimum growth and development demands interconnected solutions, and RISING is Lebanon’s innovative solution to combat poor growth and child development”.

The Ministry of Public Health, with support from UNICEF and the American University of Beirut, has developed and adopted a systematic education program composed of 19 modules. This program equips frontline workers in health, nutrition, education, child protection sectors, and daycares with the knowledge and skills needed to apply early childhood development and nurturing care principles in their work.

The RISING national education program enables frontline workers to provide an integrated package of services, including preventive and promotive interventions focused on responsive care, safeguarding, and optimal feeding and nutrition practices. Additionally, the initiative has standardized child-centered home visits by community workers across the country, providing early childhood development services at home while observing caregiver-child interactions.

As part of this practice children at risk of nutritional and developmental deprivations are identified and referred for more specialized care. So far more than 350,000 children and their caregiver have benefited from the nutrition and child development services of RISING across Lebanon.