Review of Community- based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) in the Post-emergency Context: Synthesis of Lessons on Integration of CMAM into National Health Systems

Authors: Hedwig Deconinck, Anne Swindale, Frederick Grant, Carlos Navarro-Colorado

Humanitarian crises are often marked by large-scale, externally funded, and vertically managed responses. National health systems, already weak, are often bypassed by international organizations in the interest of rapid response to save lives. There is growing recognition, however, of the importance of employing more sustainable approaches through existing health system infrastructure to ensure services continue as the emergency subsides and organizations and their resource flows end. It is within this context that USAID requested that FANTA conduct a review of the integration of community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) into the national health systems of Ethiopia, Malawi, and Niger. This report documents the current state of integration efforts, identifies challenges and lessons learned, and suggests ways to move forward on improved integration of CMAM into national health systems.