Enhancing Nutrition Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (NuMERAL) in the Health Sector

Filling evidence gaps to improve nutrition outcomes

Achieving optimal nutrition and child development outcomes at scale mandates new ways of working and learning. It requires bringing together a diverse group of health sector leaders, program implementers, and researchers to collaboratively generate and use evidence to guide holistic policies and programs.  

Objective of NuMERAL

NuMERAL (2023–2028) is a global nutrition project, funded by USAID, designed to fill evidence gaps to improve nutrition outcomes for activities implemented through health systems and ensure that local entities are strategically engaged to design, implement, disseminate, and use such evidence to strengthen nutrition policies and programs.  

NuMERAL Approach for Enhanced Nutrition Research and Learning

We support country-level, context-specific, locally led research, monitoring, evaluation, learning, and dissemination and use of evidence aimed at:

• Understanding critical nutrition information needs through country-level dialogues with health policy and program decision-makers and researchers.
• Understanding the impact and performance of nutrition interventions in health systems through rigorous monitoring and evaluations.
• Engaging local partners to conduct research, monitoring, and evaluation activities and provide capacity strengthening support based on participatory capacity assessments.
• Mobilizing stakeholders in-country to collaborate with partners at all stages of research, monitoring, and evaluation activities.
• Transforming evidence through action plans that are co-created with each partner in consultation with local stakeholders.
• Disseminating learning through traditional and innovative methods to increase evidence uptake to strengthen health and nutrition policy and services.
• Supporting national and sub-national monitoring systems to improve the quality, equity, and coverage of nutrition services.

NuMERAL Activities

NuMERAL supports local research and its translation to inform country-level and cross-national learning, collaboration, and action across three focus areas:  

1. Mainstreaming nutrition in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health policies and services.
2. Integrating responsive caregiving and opportunities for early learning into nutrition policies and programs.  
3. Improving assessment and prevention of micronutrient deficiencies and anemia. NuMERAL will focus on USAID’s Nutrition Priority and Strategic Support Countries.

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Learn more about our Center for Thriving Children and our work in health systems strengthening; food security, agriculture, and nutrition; and MERLA.