Duration: 2026–2030
Location: Gilgit-Baltistan (Ghizer– Thoi, Yasin, ) and Chitral (Shoghore, Karimabad)
Donor: Aga Khan Foundation (AKF)
Implementing Partners: Aga Khan Foundation Pakistan (AKFP), Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), Aga Khan Health Service Pakistan (AKHSP), in coordination with relevant Government Departments
Project Description
The Central Asia Stunting Initiative (CASI) Scale-Up is a multi-year, nutrition-sensitive programme aimed at addressing stunting, malnutrition, and food insecurity in remote and underserved regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. Building on the successful pilot phase implemented in Thoi (Gilgit) and Arkari (Chitral), the scale-up phase expands interventions through a structured, phased, and geographically targeted approach.
AKRSP leads the community-driven food security, agriculture, and nutrition interventions, focusing on improving dietary diversity, household food systems, and behavior change practices at the grassroots level.
Through these integrated, community-led, and nutrition-focused interventions, AKRSP contributes to reducing stunting, improving food security, enhancing resilience, and fostering sustainable, locally owned systems that support improved health and nutrition outcomes across the region.
The programme adopts an integrated approach, linking nutrition, agriculture, and livelihoods, to address the underlying causes of malnutrition. Through the promotion of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, including kitchen gardening, livestock management, and local food production, the initiative supports households in increasing access to and consumption of diverse and nutrient-rich foods.
A key component of the CASI Scale-Up is the implementation of Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) strategies. These include community-level sessions, household engagement, and culturally appropriate messaging to promote improved feeding practices, balanced diets, and optimal utilization of locally available food resources.
The programme actively engages and strengthens community-based institutions, including Local Support Organizations (LSOs), Women’s Organizations (WOs), and community notables from Health & Nutrition (HANS groups), to ensure local ownership, accountability, and sustainability.
To further enhance household-level impact, the project introduces practical tools such as Household Food & Nutrition Action Plans, area wise healthy recipe cards enabling families to plan and monitor improvements in their dietary practices over time. Seasonal planning approaches are also integrated to address food availability challenges during lean periods.
The CASI Scale-Up also emphasizes institutional coordination and alignment across AKDN agencies (AKRSP, AKF, AKHSP) and government stakeholders, ensuring that interventions are complementary, evidence-based, and scalable.
