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216 Strengthening support systems for children to grow, develop, and thrive: a multisectoral collaborative approach

bmjpo · 2026-07-14 · canonical JSON source

3 visible annotations · policy: published · automated confidence ≥ 75.00%

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Objectives Rural and Indigenous women and children in Guatemala face persistent challenges. Our project has established strategic partnerships and is working to develop an integrated, cross-sector approach to implement the Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) in these areas. The NCF promotes healthy environments for children to grow, develop, and thrive by ensuring nutrition, responsive caregiving, early learning opportunities, safety, and security. The long-term goal is to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates and improve nutritional markers among children.Methods Researchers and faculty from the University of Minnesota have collaborated with the University of San Carlos–Extension in Guatemala City for four years. Together with multidisciplinary student teams, local community organizations, and municipal leaders, we have conducted needs assessments, community asset mapping, identified priorities, and conceived a conceptual model.Results This initial phase revealed critical gaps that must be addressed for successful implementation:Trained family life educators who can support children and parents in areas of nutrition, education, and nurturing care.Establishment of a monitoring and evaluation system to track intervention outcomes.Assuring key stakeholder commitments to ensure collective impact.Conclusions These efforts have laid the foundation for an implementation model of the NCF designed for long-term scalability and sustainability that is a comprehensive, culturally responsive, and collaborative approach with multiple partners to improve the environments in which Guatemalan children grow and develop.