Democratic Republic of Congo - Multisectoral Nutrition and Health Project : Additional Financing

Overview & Synopsis

The development objective of the DRC Multisectoral Nutrition and Health Project for Democratic Republic of Congo is to increase the utilization of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions targeting children 0–23 months of age and pregnant and lactating women in the project regions and to respond to an eligible crisis or emergency. The additional financing is proposed to sustain and scale up an established package of reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health and nutrition (RMNCAH-N) services, prevent service interruptions as the free maternal and newborn care reform expands, extend the duration of support to consolidate results, and serve as a bridge to future health investments; it also refines the strategic purchasing platform to improve efficiency, integrates community and facility services, and applies a Single Contract mechanism to reduce fragmentation across partners. Under the community platform, the operation will continue contracting non-governmental organizations to deliver the Government’s revised community-based nutrition model (NAC) in prioritized health zones, strengthen demand generation and interpersonal communication for the first 1,000 days and family planning (FP), expand the role of community health workers with performance-linked indicators, and roll out focused social and behavior change communication. On the supply side, the Bank will finance performance-based purchasing (PBF) of the essential primary care package with emphasis on quality antenatal care including iron and folic acid supplementation, safe delivery and immediate breastfeeding support, post-partum FP, growth monitoring and promotion, detection and management of acute malnutrition, and strengthened supply chains through a revolving fund and diversified last-mile distribution, complemented by targeted rehabilitation and readiness upgrades that incorporate climate-resilient standards. In Ituri, the operation will maintain continuity of essential RMNCAH-N services alongside the Ebola Virus Disease response, while small pilots in Tshopo and Kongo Central will test convergence with other World Bank operations and corridor development. The project will reinforce FP access through performance-based contracts with nonstate providers, bolster provincial execution and supervision capacity, introduce digital tools for quantification and performance monitoring, and implement a structured learning agenda and endline data collection to inform subsequent investments. Building on results to date—over 21 million women and children reached, a surge in assisted deliveries linked to fee removal, quality-of-care improvements, and significant treatment of severe acute malnutrition—the extended support intends to increase service continuity and quality in approximately three quarters of health zones across eight provinces, add time-bound support in EVD-affected areas, and reach an estimated 8 million direct beneficiaries while sustaining citizen engagement and sensitive grievance redress, including for sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment.