Call for Expression of Interest: First Foods SBC Initiative (Ghana)

Deadline: 20-Mar-2026

UNICEF Ghana seeks expressions of interest from organizations to develop Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) interventions under the First Foods Africa initiative. The focus is on improving infant and young child feeding practices through gamified strategies and culturally tailored video content to promote safe, diverse, and locally sourced complementary foods.

Overview of the Initiative

The First Foods Africa initiative addresses malnutrition in Ghana, targeting undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight/obesity among children under five. The program promotes improved complementary feeding practices by engaging caregivers, fathers, and community health workers through culturally relevant interventions.

Key Objectives

• Develop SBC interventions that encourage positive child-feeding behaviours.

• Promote safe, diverse, and locally sourced complementary foods for infants and young children.

• Strengthen local food systems and caregiver knowledge.

• Integrate interventions into existing health and community service platforms, such as Child Welfare Clinics, Antenatal Clinics, and Community-based Health Planning Systems.

Context and Need

• Ghana faces a triple burden of malnutrition:

  • Stunting: 17% of children under five

  • Wasting: 6% of children under five

  • Underweight: 12% of children under five

  • Nearly 50% of children aged 6–59 months suffer from anaemia

• Nutrition-related factors contribute to 45% of under-five deaths.

• Limited access to diverse and nutritious diets drives poor child-feeding practices.

SBC Intervention Components

1. Gamified Child-Feeding Approach

   • Designed to motivate caregivers and other influencers to adopt healthy feeding behaviours.

   • Embedded within existing health and community services.

   • Pilot-tested for context relevance and effectiveness.

2. Culturally Tailored Video Series

   • Provides practical guidance on:

     • Timely introduction of complementary foods

     • Dietary diversity and appropriate meal frequency

     • Food safety and responsive feeding

     • Continued breastfeeding

   • Distributed through mass media channels to maximize reach.

Expected Outcomes

• Development and pre-testing of an evidence-informed gamified SBC intervention.

• Production and validation of a child-feeding video series suitable for local contexts.

• Creation of a scalable SBC model with an implementation roadmap for integration into Ghanaian health and community systems.

Eligibility Criteria

• Organizations capable of:

  • Designing, prototyping, and piloting gamified SBC interventions.

  • Developing culturally tailored multimedia content.

  • Working collaboratively with UNICEF Ghana and the Ghana Health Service.

• Demonstrated expertise in nutrition, behavioural change, and community engagement.

How to Participate

1. Prepare an expression of interest detailing your experience and approach to SBC interventions.

2. Outline methods for designing, prototyping, and piloting the gamified intervention.

3. Include plans for producing a culturally relevant child-feeding video series.

4. Describe strategies for embedding interventions into existing health and community platforms.

5. Submit the proposal according to UNICEF Ghana’s submission guidelines.

Why This Initiative Matters

• Addresses critical malnutrition challenges in early childhood.

• Encourages behavioural change at caregiver and community levels.

• Strengthens health system integration for nutrition interventions.

• Provides a scalable and replicable model to improve child survival and development outcomes.

FAQs

1. Who can apply? Organizations with expertise in SBC, child nutrition, and multimedia content development.
2. What is the focus area? Infant and young child feeding practices in Ghana.
3. What interventions are expected? Gamified SBC strategies and a culturally tailored video series.
4. How will interventions be delivered? Integrated into Child Welfare Clinics, Antenatal Clinics, and community health platforms.
5. What outcomes are expected? Pre-tested gamified SBC model, validated video series, and a scalable implementation roadmap.
6. Is partnership with government required? Collaboration with UNICEF Ghana and Ghana Health Service is necessary.
7. Will interventions be scaled nationally? The pilot aims to develop a model for future wide-scale implementation.

Conclusion

The UNICEF First Foods Africa initiative in Ghana provides a strategic opportunity to design innovative SBC interventions that improve infant and young child feeding practices. By combining gamification, multimedia content, and integration into existing health systems, the initiative aims to strengthen nutrition outcomes, promote sustainable behavioural change, and support scalable, evidence-based solutions for children across the country.

For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.