DSW Ethiopia and Nutrition International Honor a Partnership Protocol

Following a series of collaborative discussions involving DSW’s global teams and its country office representatives in Ethiopia, a partnership agreement was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between DSW Ethiopia and Nutrition International on 26 May 2026. At the MoU signing held at Nutrition International’s country office in Addis Ababa, DSW Ethiopia presented an overview of its intervention portfolio, highlighting the scope and reach of its programs. The occasion marked the formalization of a strategic partnership aimed at advancing the pilot implementation of integrated nutrition and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) interventions.

The implementation protocol outlines four specific objectives designed to reach targeted adolescents and young people aged 10–24, both in and out of school. The two partners jointly designed operational guidelines for implementing the integrated intervention packages across the platforms.

One of the four specific objectives is to conduct an assessment to determine whether DSW-supported out-of-schools’ platforms are viable channels for delivering nutrition interventions to underserved adolescents, thereby addressing service gaps. Evaluating acceptability, feasibility and costs of opportunity, including enablers and barriers of improved practices takes into account the perspectives of adolescents, parents and community leaders. The fourth specific objective is to generate evidence for advocacy efforts aimed at mobilising resources, informing policy development, and promoting equitable access to adolescent nutrition and SRH information, services and products.

The integrated intervention framework was developed by building on the complementary strengths of both partners. On the one hand, Nutrition International brings specialised expertise in the thematic areas of nutrition and health. On the other hand, DSW Ethiopia has extensive grassroots experience in implementing adolescent nutrition interventions, supported financially by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). In addition to the school-based nutrition intervention, DSW Ethiopia has established out-of-school youth clubs, youth empowerment centres, and adolescent and youth-friendly health service outlets. These platforms have added a great deal of value to the viability of the objectives.            

With DSW’s adolescent- and youth-friendly health (AYFH) clinic co-located within the DSW-supported Tena-Lehulum Youth Empowerment Centre in Hosana, both the nutrition intervention platforms and the SRH service delivery points are readily accessible to adolescents and young people. Following the signing of the partnership agreement, the pilot intervention, titled “Optimising the Delivery of Integrated Adolescent and Youth Nutrition and SRH Services,” was launched for a six-month implementation period. The pilot is being implemented in Wachemo, Hadiya Zone, in the Central Ethiopia Region and will run through October 2026.

Although designed as a six-month Trial of Improved Practices (TIP), the project has already resulted in a tripartite agreement among key stakeholders, driven by the promising prospect of scaling up the intervention at the national level. DSW is co-funding the initiative.