Twenty one civil society organisations across South Asia won grants for their proposals to battle malnutrition in the region during a program called 'Family and Community Approaches to Improve Infant and Young Child Nutrition.' The winners received up to $40,000 each to implement their ideas on how to improve nutrition in the next 18 months in their respective countries. Among the winners were four Nepali proposals.

Vijaya Development Resource Center won for its idea to improve feeding practices for young children with micronutrient supplements. Equal Access Nepal was recognised for its proposal to enhance birth weight and survival rate of infants. MaxPro won for its idea to develop a community based distribution network for iodised salt and Helen Keller International Inc won for its proposal to reduce malnutrition among children less than two years old.

A Bangladeshi proposal to promote nutritional status of malnourished children of commercial sex workers and families of people living with HIV/AIDS won the People's Choice Award.

Bangladeshi Finance Minister Abhdul Maal Muhit handed out the awards.

The South Asia Regional Development Marketplace was sponsored by UNICEF, World Food Programme, PepsiCo, the Micronutrient Initiative (MI), GTZ and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).

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