The objective of Strategic Pillar 2 is to identify and catalyze processes that facilitate active community engagement. This approach aims to bridge the gap between nutrition-related policy and strategic commitments and actionable steps at the household and community level, thereby shortening the distance from intention to impactful action.

Communities, which should be pivotal partners in addressing hunger and malnutrition, are often unaware of the commitments (“promises”) that have been made, the implications of these commitments, or the actions they themselves can take to improve their nutritional status. 

Community action involves “claiming these promises” by not only demanding the necessary steps to operationalize various commitments and declarations but also understanding the community’s own role and responsibility in achieving the goals set forth. This dual approach ensures that communities are both advocates for change and active participants in their nutritional well-being.

AfriCAN will work in partnership to demystify nutrition and collaborate with and through community-based partners and utilizing existing structures—such as Primary Health Care (PHC,) to promote nutrition action within communities, empowering them to take initiative themselves. To support this effort, a community engagement strategy has been developed.

Sustainable reduction in the current nutrition burden will occur when citizens appreciate the importance of good nutrition for healthy growth and development and are engaged in an informed manner to address their food and nutrition situation throughout the lifecycle.