Almost half of all Indian children are chronically malnourished and more than 2.4 million die each year from preventable or curable diseases. India has one of the highest maternal and child mortality rates in the world. Micronutrients can reduce child and maternal morbidity and mortality.

USAID’s Micronutrient A2Z program helps India’s at-risk populations improve their micronutrient status. Micronutrient A2Z has evaluated the micronutrient situation in India and is using this information to build district-level capacities to implement, monitor and evaluate child survival-linked micronutrient programs. The findings help form guidelines and tools for the use of vitamin A supplements to bolster immune systems, iron folate to prevent anemia, and zinc to improve treatment of diarrhea (a major killer of children in India). A2Z is also developing behavior change communication strategies that increase program impact in communities.