Impacts of School-Based Nutrition Promotion and Micronutrient Supplementation: Evidence from a field experiment in Somalia

School-based nutrition initiatives is a key instrument to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition in Somalia. Several studies on the impacts of school-based nutrition programs in other developing country contexts show mixed evidence – improvement in nutritional status in some contexts while negative or no effects in other contexts. This research assessed the effects of a school nutrition pilot in Baidoa district of Somalia with a view to scale-up a multi-component school nutrition programs. The interventions included the formation of nutrition clubs to disseminate nutrition information to all students and weekly Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation for adolescent girls. The study followed randomized control trial methodology where five pairs of schools, matched by school characteristics, were randomly allocated into treatment or control groups.