Theory of Change: Joint Action to Stop Wasting
Comprehensive framework guiding UNICEF-WFP partnership across 15 humanitarian settings to achieve stabilized child wasting and improved maternal nutrition outcomes
About
The Theory of Change for the Joint Action to Stop Wasting provides a comprehensive roadmap for UNICEF and WFP's collaborative approach to addressing child wasting across 15 priority humanitarian countries. This strategic framework illustrates how strengthened partnerships will translate into improved programme and policy outcomes, ultimately achieving stabilization in child wasting and improved maternal nutrition. The theory establishes clear pathways from operational activities through partnership outcomes to long-term sustainable impact.
The framework is structured around five key components: outputs and activities, partnership outcomes, programme and policy outcomes, impact, and strategic shifts. Core outputs include strengthened nutrition vulnerability analysis systems, comprehensive prevention and management service packages, diverse approaches for moderate wasting management, coordinated advocacy and fundraising, government support systems, robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and improved supply chain management for essential nutrition commodities.
Partnership outcomes focus on enhanced collaboration across food security and nutrition clusters, improved planning and coordination for service delivery, evidence-informed moderate wasting management options, strengthened last-mile nutrition service delivery, sufficient resource mobilization, and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation systems. These collaborative achievements directly contribute to programme and policy outcomes including improved coverage and access to comprehensive wasting services, increased availability of nutritionally adequate diets, enhanced quality of prevention services, and government adoption of new models and approaches.
The theory's strategic shifts form the foundation of the UNICEF-WFP partnership, emphasizing prevention first and always, data-driven targeting of vulnerable populations, comprehensive service packages, leveraging cluster platforms, elevating maternal nutrition importance, diversifying local food solutions, optimizing supply chain management, and collaborative global advocacy. These principles ensure all activities align with evidence-based approaches for maximum impact.
Country teams are expected to adapt this Theory of Change for local design, implementation, and monitoring while maintaining alignment with core outputs and strategic principles. The framework assumes availability of sustained nutrition supplies, strong government collaboration, and sufficient funding, while acknowledging risks including supply chain disruptions, funding shortfalls, and political instability. Success will be measured through stabilized child wasting prevalence and improved maternal nutrition outcomes across target humanitarian settings.
