Ending inequalities in nutrition will require transforming systems so that every child has the support they need to grow and thrive. SPOON’s work combining training, Count Me In, and advocacy in a system-wide approach to fight malnutrition for children with disabilities was recognized as a recipient of this year’s Zero Project Award. Zero Project is a global initiative focused on elevating solutions to fulfill the rights of persons with disabilities in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Kate Miller, SPOON’s Feeding and Disability Specialist, presented SPOON’s work at the global Zero Project Conference in February 2024. Her presentation explained how SPOON is pushing for disability inclusion in nutrition, highlighted our use of Count Me In, and shared case studies from Zambia, Uganda, and Lesotho.
“When we improve nutrition and feeding for children with disabilities, we can facilitate their ability to fulfill their rights to health, to participation, to community living, and to education.”
Kate Miller
Feeding & Disability Specialist, SPOON
SPOON’s model combines training, tools, and advocacy in a single solution to maximize our impact. Together with our local partners, these components allow us to improve nutrition outcomes for children, help families improve feeding practices, and give decision makers information they need to include children with disabilities and children without family care in policies and programs. This solution has reached thousands of children – more than 4,000 children have been assessed in Count Me In. Through our advocacy work, we’re on track to change policies and programs so that this same impact reaches all 250 million children with disabilities and children without family care.
Kate also shared a look ahead at SPOON’s next steps, which include developing a new version of our app called Count Me In+, assessing the feeding and nutrition status of 10,000 children, and using evidence from our work to drive change at national and global levels. To learn more, watch Kate’s presentation here.
