UNICEF Mozambique

Call for Expression of Interest / Call for Proposals

Improving production and access to affordable nutrient dense complementary foods for infants and
young children aged 6 to 23 months through low-cost innovative processing of locally sourced foods in
Mozambique

Location Mozambique (any of the provinces/ districts below)

 Cabo Delgado (Ancube, Balama, Chiure, Namumo)
 Nampula (Erati, Meconta)
 Sofala (Buzi, Chibababa, Dondo, Gorongosa, Muanza, Nhamatanda)
 Zambézia (Derre, Gurue, Maganja da Costa)
Agency United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Section Child Health and Nutrition (CHN)
Posted August 20 2025
Deadline September 30, 2025
Notification of results October 20 ,2025
Start Date November 1, 2025
End Date October 31, 2026

1. Context and background

Mozambique has been progressing in improving child and maternal nutrition, with significant reductions
in the prevalence of wasting in children under five from 6% in 2011 (DHS) to 4% in 2022/2023,
presenting a great potential for the country to meet its target of below 2.5% by 2030. The country is also
making some progress in reducing the prevalence of stunting amongst children under five, with a decline
from 43% in 2013 to 37% in 2022. Despite this progress, Mozambique remains amongst the countries
with the highest prevalence of stunting in Africa, ranking 5th in the region. Moreover, indicators related to
diets of young children and micronutrients deficiencies are alarming. Recent DHS data (2022/23) points
out that approximately 86% of children between 6 and 23 months in the country are not receiving
minimum acceptable diets – neither in terms of quality nor in terms of adequate meal frequency. Over
70% of children below the age of five are anemic, and at the same time, overweight and obesity are on
the rise, particularly, amongst children within the same age group. These figures underscore the
importance of the introduction of age-appropriate, safe, and nutrient-dense complementary foods from
6 months of age, critical for optimal growth and development. Furthermore, they highlight that the need
to reshape food systems and infant and young child feeding practices (IYCF), to benefit young children.

The drivers of this triple burden of malnutrition – coexistence of undernutrition, micronutrient

deficiencies and overweight and obesity - in Mozambique and within households are multiple, including
significant levels of income poverty; the limited access to basic services such as, health, education and
water and sanitation; and poor infrastructures to mention a few. The impacts of climate change on
family farming and local food production further exacerbate food insecurity and adversely impact the
availability of diverse, nutritious foods in many rural and coastal communities. Addressing these factors

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requires a holistic and systems approach, with food systems playing a central role together with health,
water and sanitation, education, and social protection systems, in providing nutritious, safe, affordable
and sustainable diets for children.

Most regions in Mozambique have favorable agroecological and/ coastal conditions for food production.
However, ensuring food is available in all seasons remains a challenge, especially in the central and
northern regions of the country, also considered as food baskets. Conversely, in these regions, food
security, diet diversity and nutrition related indicators are the worst in the country. Food insecurity and
poor nutrition in Mozambique are driven by multiple interconnected factors:
 Subsistence Farming: Most agriculture is for household consumption, on small plots (<2
hectares), with minimal crop diversity.
 Climate Change: Alters rainfall patterns and increases natural disasters (Mozambique amongst
the top 10 countries exposed to natural climate shocks - cyclical floods, droughts and cyclones),
negatively affecting food production and access.
 Limited Irrigation: Only 1% of farmers use irrigation; most rely on rain-fed agriculture.
 Poor Diets: Diets lack variety, relying heavily on staples like maize and cassava, and increasingly
include cheap, unhealthy ultra-processed foods.
 Capital, investments and credit: Limited access to capital, investments and credit for producers
and small and medium enterprises for production assets, purchase equipment, and for value
addition and packaging.
 Infrastructure & Markets: Weak infrastructure and poor market access drive up food prices and
limit food availability and trade.
 Post-Harvest Losses: Inadequate storage and processing contribute to high seasonal food loss
and waste.
 Infant & Child Feeding: Inadequate complementary feeding practices and low diet diversity
affect over 85% of children aged 6–23 months.
 Food Safety: Staple foods are often contaminated (e.g., aflatoxins), posing health risks.
 Cultural Barriers, behaviours and practices: Food taboos, gender dynamics, and meal allocation
limit food quality and quantity for women and children.
 Economic Challenges: Small farmers and youth lack access to credit and investment, hindering
production and food system development.
 Uncompetitive Local Production: Imported foods often undercut local prices, making local
products less viable.
 Determinants of maternal and child nutrition beyond food and care practices: including access
to healthcare, WASH services, incomes and/ safety nets, inter alia.

The transformation of food systems offers significant opportunities to ensure that diverse food products
are available and affordable to poor and vulnerable households throughout the year, whilst at the same
time contributing to improved nutritional outcomes, economies of scale, and employment and income
generation to deprived communities who depend on production for their livelihoods in a sustainable
manner. Evidence points out that food systems are drivers of optimal nutrition and health, and that vast
opportunities exist for sustainable and impactful collaborations with the private sector to improve the

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nutritional value of products that children are already consuming and to explore the development of
new, nutritious, and affordable ready-to-eat products that address consumer needs. Furthermore,
homegrown innovations in food systems, led-by small and medium scale enterprises, with low cost,
sustainable and climate-resilient solutions in countries such as Mozambique, have been leading a silent
revolution (as described by the AGRA 2019) , particularly in undertaking second-stage processing of
foods, branding and packaging of products including peanuts, cashew nuts, fruits, flour blends, moringa,
and instant porridges amongst others.

The recent global adoption of a new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicator on Minimum
Dietary Diversity (MDD) by the United Nations in March 2025, to track progress of the Zero Hunger goal
in women and children, is a clear indication of the critical role of food systems as a contributor to
improving nutrition and wellbeing, amongst other human capital indicators, and will help countries such
as Mozambique define critical actions to ensure that the minimum dietary diversity of women and
children in particular are met in contribution to improved nutritional outcomes.

2. UNICEF’s role in food systems transformation for children

UNICEF aims to support countries in ensuring optimal nutrition, growth, and development for children,
adolescents, and women by promoting healthy diets, services, and practices. This aligns with the 2030
Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. UNICEF uses a systems
approach, focusing on five key systems: food, health, water and sanitation, education, and social
protection. It emphasizes transforming food systems as a child rights issue, advocating for policies and
practices that ensure children’s right to nutritious, safe, affordable, and sustainable diets, in coordination
with other essential systems. UNICEF also advocates for interventions that prioritize climate resilience,
emissions reduction, and the integration of nature-based solutions within food production chains,
thereby ensuring long-term food sustainability.

UNICEF is uniquely positioned to drive this transformation for children through its work on food systems
for children focused on three areas:
i) Improving children’s foods
ii) Improving children’s food environments
iii) Improving children’s food practices and diets

3. Purpose for Expression of Interest

In 2024, UNICEF undertook a scoping exercise to inform the Mozambique Country Office (CO) on
potential areas of work and opportunities to enhance children's nutrition by evaluating existing foods
and diets, exploring new partnerships, and improving complementary food options for children under
two. The scoping resulted in an initial mapping of key potential value chains for the production/
innovative transformation of affordable nutritional foods, these include:
 cashew-nuts (cashew-butter)
 fish (drying, smoking)
 eggs (drying, fresh)
 vegetables (canning, drying, pureeing)

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 legumes (ie. peanut butter, corn-soy blend)
 fruits (dried fruits, flours, purees)
 staples (rice, maize, cassava)

As a follow-up to this scoping, through this call for expressions of interest, UNICEF seeks to identify local
entities offering low-cost, innovative approaches for developing and producing safe and nutritionally
adequate complementary foods for infants and young children aged 6–23 months, using locally available
ingredients. The goal is to improve access to affordable, nutritious complementary foods in provinces of
Mozambique with a high burden of malnutrition. Interested partners are encouraged to share and
expand their experiences with local, community-accepted solutions that are sustainable and scalable for
improving children’s diets.

The expected proposals will be around food systems with a focus on scaling up local innovative
processing solutions and the promotion of locally produced/ sourced food commodities to offer
affordable, diversified options to improve the diet diversity of infants, with the potential for developing
products for the wider population to ensure sustainability (economic, social and environmental). The
proposals should include linkages with local supply chain – to promote circular economies in
implementation communities; capacity development and skills transfers to women and youth; as well as
linkages with existent social behavior change interventions for improved nutrition and health outcomes
for children, adolescents and women in particular. Renewable energy solutions should be embedded to
reduce emissions, promote environmental sustainability, and enhance resilience to climate shocks.

The proposal should include the following components:

 Component 1 – Mapping of locally produced/ sourced/ transformed nutrient dense (preferably
iron-rich, vitamin A, and/ or iodine) commodities in selected locations to inform combinations of
ingredients/ food products. At least one potential animal-based protein for processing should be
identified. Linkages with mandatory large-scale fortified foodstuffs a plus.
 Component 2 – Business model proposed and costed business plan developed – from sourcing
of commodities (linkages with local producers/ fishermen/ industry); to transformation and
processing; low-cost/ sustainable packaging; marketing and sale of product(s). Business model
should include maximization of utilization of products. Reformulation of existing products and/
local production of food supplements (ie. Ready-to-use therapeutic foods) also considered.
 Includes solar-powered processing and, where feasible, small-scale cooling solutions to reduce
losses, improve shelf life, and ensure off-grid sustainability. Priority also should be given to
biodegradable and circular packaging solutions to reduce plastic pollution and support
environmental sustainability.
 Component 3 – Capacity development for model implementation including on low-cost and
clean energy processing/ storage, handling, safety, financial management, entrepreneurship
skills development for adolescents’ renewable energy system use and maintenance to enable
local ownership and sustainability as well as agroecology and climate-smart practices).
 Component 4 – proposed linkages with ongoing health and nutrition and/or education
programmes aimed to improve infant and young child feeding, and/ or promote healthy diets

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(i.e. nutrition interventions package (PIN), cooking demonstrations using clean cooking energy,
farmer field and business schools, school feeding, Model Family inter alia).
 Component 5 – Documentation of model implementation for learning, replication and scale-up,
evidence on results/ impact on nutritional status of children 6-23 months, as well as
documentation of clean energy benefits (e.g. reduced food loss and waste, lower costs), to
inform replication and scale-up.

4. Expected Results
This call for expression of interest is to attract proposals with promising initiatives to improve the quality
of diets for children 6-23 months in Mozambique. The proposal should outline and provide a detailed
narrative based on the aforementioned 5 components. Successful applications will contribute to the
achievement of the results below. The model will also demonstrate low-emission, climate-resilient food
systems aligned with environmental sustainability principles and is expected to promote healthy eating
behaviors, reduce reliance on ultra-processed foods, and encourage the consumption of fresh and/ or
ow-processed locally available foods in response to the triple burden of malnutrition

This project will contribute to UNICEF’s Mozambique Country Programme:

Outcome 200: More infants and children under five, women of reproductive age and adolescents (10-19
years of age), in emergencies and most vulnerable areas, are benefiting from positive caring and feeding
practices, and accessing inter-sectoral coordinated climate resilient and environmentally sustainable
nutrition and health services founded on comprehensive policies and legislation.

Output 200.001 - Key leaders, institutions, and stakeholders (public & private) at national, provincial and
district level enable coordinated design & ensure implementation of multisector, evidence-based
nutrition actions.

More children, adolescent girls, and women benefit from equitable access to integrated and quality
preventative nutrition services and adopt positive nutrition practices, including in emergencies.

5. Geographic Coverage
The strategic partnership planned under this call will seek to cover two districts in either of the following
provinces: Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Sofala and/or Zambezia. At least one of the locations must be
located in a coastal region.

6. Selection Criteria
Criteria Description Weight
Legally registered entities Only legally registered entities will be considered.
(private sector, cooperatives,
NGOs, community-based
organizations, small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) or social

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enterprises
Have prior experience in food Experience in business development and food 10
production, particularly in infant processing/ transformation/ value addition of
or nutritional foods. safe and nutritious foods that are accessible,
affordable, and desirable nutritious low-
processed foods
Relevance of proposal to  Addresses nutritional needs of infants/young 25
achieving expected results children aged 6–24 months
 Builds on local food systems, cultural
practices, and dietary patterns
 Responds to specific constraints of low-
resource or rural settings
 Embeds renewable energy solutions
Technical Feasibility Simple and low-cost to implement with minimal 15
infrastructure
 Clear and practical methodology for food
processing and preparation
 Demonstrated or plausible evidence of safety,
quality, and nutritional value
Innovation and Value Addition  New or adapted approaches that enhance the 10
appeal, nutrition, or safety of complementary
foods
 Utilities underused or undervalued and/or
locally available and sourced ingredients
Sustainability and replicability of  Potential for scale-up in similar contexts 10
proposal  Environmentally sustainable and
economically viable
 Involves community, adolescent/youth and
women’s groups, or small-scale
entrepreneurs
Financial and operational Demonstrated organizational and financial 10
capacity to implement the capacity of the applicant to meet the demands
proposed activities. of the proposed partnership activity including
the ability to contribute an appropriate amount
of cost share
Experience working with UN/ Experience or previous partnership/ 5
development agency engagement/ financial support provided by an
UN agency or international development
cooperation agency/ donor.
Local experience and presence Experience and physical presence of entity in 5
(in Mozambique, and in any of implementing similar programmes/ business
the proposed geographic model in Mozambique, and in any of the

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locations an advantage) proposed provinces (Cabo Delgado, Nampula,
Sofala or Zambezia)
Cost effectiveness Total cost / budget for proposal vis-à-vis 10
proposed outputs and outcomes.

Method of Submission and Deadlines

Application requirements for submission

 EOI should be uploaded into UNPP as per template in annex A. Please follow the uploading
guidance provided in the UNPP.
 The UNPP can be accessed here: https://www.unpartnerportal.org/
 EOI will be assessed by an evaluation committee to identify the CSO/ that have the mandate,
capacities and comparative advantage to implement value chain/ business development
initiatives.
 It should be noted that participation to this Call for Expression of Interest does not guarantee
the CSO will be ultimately selected for partnership and to receive funds from UNICEF.
 Following the assessment, the successful organisations will be notified through UNPP. UNICEF
will contact the shortlisted organizations to develop a full proposal. These proposals will be
subject to a multi-sectoral Technical Review Committee appraisal and to UNICEF's internal
review process.
 UNICEF will not consider applications submitted via e-mail. All submissions must be submitted
via UNPP.
 Requests for support accessing or registering on UNPP should be directed to Denis Meque at:
[email protected]
 All queries in relation to the Expression of Interest should be submitted to UNPP and by XXXX all
questions and clarification will be available for all in eTools.

SUBMISSION of EOI documents

Interested organizations are requested to submit Annex A through the UN Partner Portal by 17.00 Hours
on September 30, 2025.

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Annex A: Expression of interest to partner with UNICEF Mozambique

Section Theme Description

1.1 Entity/ Organisation Entity/ Organization
Information name
Acronym
Physical Address
Telephone
Website
1.2 Head of entity/ Name, Surname
Organisation Functional Title
Email
Telephone
1.3 Focal person (if Name, Surname
different from 1.2) Functional Title
Email
Telephone

2.1 Entity/ CSO Entity/ Organization

mandate/vision/missio Mandate
n sector area and
Sector area
geographic coverage
Current Geographic
(Alignment with EOI)
coverage
Goals
2.2 Experience in value Please provide brief
chain development, information on previous
processing and and current work in the
transformation of past 5 years in value
nutritious foods chain development and
(Minimum of 5 years of processing/
experience) transformation of
nutritious foods.
Indicate successful
practices, sustainability,
and related knowledge
products developed
2.3 Experience in Please provide brief info
business model on experience in
development/ costed development of
business plans business plans/ models

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Section Theme Description
and verifiable examples
2.4 Experience in Please provide a
capacity development summary of your
and training on financial experiences on capacity
management and development and
entrepreneurship skills training, and/ or how
this would be addressed
in the project
2.5 Entity/ CSO Please provide brief
Proposed Collaboration information on your
considering UNICEF ideas for collaboration
strategic areas and and how your
sectors as well as organization can
expected partnerships contribute to healthy
outcomes diets and nutrient dense
complementary foods
(Innovative Solutions: for children between 6-
UNICEF will be looking 23 months.
at innovative, low-cost
solutions for processing
of locally available
nutritious foods for
children)
2.6 Comparative Outline any distinctive
advantage technical capacity of
your entity/
organization
2.7 Core Staff/Technical Outline of number and
capacity key functions of core
organization staff
including specific for
value chain
development; business
development;
processing and
transformation; capacity
development/ skills
transfer.
2.8 Financial Overall Size of Annual
management and Budgets for the past 3

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Section Theme Description
accountability (attach years (specify per
previous audit report) thematic areas)
Overall Source of core
funds or income
Overall Main funding
partners / donors for
the past 5 years
Company has audited if yes attach Audit Reports. (Including UNICEF
accounts for last two HACT micro-assessments and spot check reports if
years applicable)
2.9 Capacity to Comment on the
contribute to project organization’s capacity
to contribute to the
project stating the
maximum % threshold
3. Monitoring and Briefly provide approach
learning for knowledge sharing
and community
demonstration

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