Integrating WASH and nutrition to reduce stunting in Cambodia: from discourse to practice

A growing body of evidence on the contribution of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in improving young children’s growth in the critical “first 1,000 days” window, from pregnancy through the age of two years, means that efforts to integrate WASH and dietary improvement activities to improve nutritional outcomes are gaining momentum. Integration, while offering additional benefits of program efficiencies, cost-effectiveness and mobilization for sustained local action presents challenges of focus and scope. How programmes integrate in practice for nutritional benefit for young children is critical. In Cambodia, international cooperation through the NOURISH Project supports the Royal Government of Cambodia to accelerate efforts to reduce chronic malnutrition in children through an integrated WASH and nutrition approach. This paper discusses the conceptual framework for integration, gives practical examples of integrated activities and reflects on the challenges from a WASH practitioner’s perspective to improve WASH services within this framework at project mid- point.