Coverage Monitoring Network

Programme coverage is one of the most useful and reliable indicators for measuring the performance of CMAM programmes. The effectiveness of CMAM programme and the coverage it achieves are strongly linked. An effective CMAM programme will tend to achieve good coverage and a programme with good coverage is expected to be an effective programme. Maximizing coverage therefore is likely to improve effectiveness and met need. Even for a programme that is achieving good clinical outcomes (high cure rates and low death rates), ultimate impact is diminished if it only achieves low levels of coverage.

The Coverage Monitoring Network (CMN) is a consortium of NGOs (lead by Action Against Hunger) who implement Community based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) programmes. The CMN is committed to supporting and strengthening the implementation CMAM programmes around the world. Through its team of technical staff, the CMN provides NGOs and government agencies with the required capacity and knowledge to plan and carry out coverage assessments. It also helps the programmes to devise action plans to address the leading barriers caregivers face to accessing treatment for their malnourished children and compiles and shares information and data relating to CMAM programmes.

Capacity building

The coverage advisors, who are part of the CMN team, provide direct and remote support to NGOs and government agencies with the planning and delivery of coverage assessment methodologies. The CMN’s technical advisors also provide assessment teams with guidance on how to conduct community assessments and qualitative data collection. The CMN builds the capacity of programme staff to conduct coverage assessments and provide checklists, templates and tools to enable them to carry out assessments independently in the future.

Development of assessment tools and training packages

Now that the assessment methodologies have been developed and tested, the CMN is also working to make the existing tools more accessible and to maximise their use at all levels of nutrition programming. We have developed standardised assessment tools and training packages for coverage assessment methodologies which are available to download from the Training Centre in the Resource Library.

Community engagement

Lack of awareness of malnutrition and of CMAM programmes have been identified as major barriers to access in many different contexts.

As such, the CMN supports field partners to conduct quality, in-depth community assessments in their programmes and to devise and deliver action plans specific to their target communities.

Lessons learned

The implementation of community mobilisation action plans in their CMAM programme will be a new experience for nearly all partners. The CMN is therefore dedicated to consolidating the learnings of partners’ experiences and to share results and lessons learned with all interested parties.

Data collection and analysis

The project is also collecting and sharing data collected through coverage assessments (including those supported by the CMN team and those carried out independently). Assessment reports are added to this site categorised by country in Country Activities. More country-specific data will be added to the country pages over time.