Period of Contract:

This will be a consultancy contract for different experts for a period of 4 months. The number of person days required for each position varies from expert for drafting the white paper on school-based food and nutrition education in India. The engagement can be cancelled / terminated for any non-performance in duties, misconduct or without assigning any reason thereof with immediate effect.

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Coalition for Food Systems Transforma(c)tion in India (CoFTI):
The Coalition for Food Systems Transforma(c)tion in India (CoFTI), born from the UN Food Systems Summit 2021, is committed to reshaping India’s food system. CoFTI was established under the leadership of the Food Future Foundation (FFF) with support from GIZ. Welthungerhilfe (WHH) currently coordinates the overall CoFTI process, with Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN) anchoring the coalition’s secretariat. With a vision of universal access to safe and nutritious food it targets hunger, malnutrition and health, the coalition champions biodiversity, climate resilience and livelihood protection. Engagement of various experts for Drafting of White Paper on School Based Food & Nutrition Education in India.

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India faces significant nutrition challenges, including malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and rising obesity, which require urgent policy action. A lack of nutritional knowledge often leads to poor dietary habits and limits the intake of nutrient-rich foods. Addressing malnutrition requires not only providing access to nutritious food but also empowering communities, especially children and their families, with the knowledge and skills to make informed dietary choices.
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Schools are vital in shaping children and adolescents’ health and well-being. This has been recognised for long and in the recent years, the Ayushman Bharat School Health and Wellness Programme, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines, and the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) curriculum also highlights these aspects and highlight the importance of health promotion and healthy environment within educational institutions. Despite these efforts, unhealthy eating habits and limited awareness about nutritious diets persist. Junk food availability in school premises is a prominent issue. Adverse lifestyle behaviours contribute to the childhood overweight and obesity epidemic, with a pooled prevalence of 12.4% overweight and 8.4% obesity in India. There is a need to enhance the school environment by promoting healthy behaviours and improving the nutritional quality of school canteen meals. The schools can play an important role in lifelong habits and learnings on food and nutrition and ensure a healthy India.
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In this backdrop, CoFTI aims to develop a working paper to document school-based food and nutrition education in India. The focus of the working paper would be to summarise why we need to pay more attention to food and nutrition, in the context of public health challenges. Identify possible multi-sectoral interventions, document various government programs supporting nutrition education from both supply and demand side, document global case studies and potential models for food and nutrition; identify key stakeholders and their roles and provide policy recommendations and way forward. For drafting of the white paper, CoFTI invites Team Leader and Policy Advisor , Public Health & Nutrition Consultant, Research Associate and Research Analyst cum project coordinator.

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TEAM LEAD AND POLICY ADVISOR
Qualification required:

• Educational qualifications: A leading and experienced public health person with a graduate degree in Medicine or a Postgraduate Degree in Public Health or Nutrition/ a graduate degree in Medicine and post graduate degree in Community Medicine or Public Health.
• Experience: After obtaining the qualification, 15+ years of experience in health, education nutrition and proven publication record. Prior work experience with UN agencies and in drafting similar working papers would be an asset.
• Proposed task and remuneration: To lead and oversee entire work. Will be responsible for all coordination and literature review. to conduct literature review, critical inputs, analytical aspects and drafting of recommendations.
• Remuneration: @Rs 20,000/day for 16 days in total.