Child undernutrition remains a critical public health challenge in fragile and conflict-affected settings, where community-based delivery systems play a central role. This study assessed the effectiveness of the functional capacities of Community Animation Cells (CAC) in improving the nutritional status of children under five in South Kivu. Methodology: A quasi-experimental study with a non-randomized control group was conducted in the Bunyakiri Health Zone, comparing intervention and control areas. A total of 280 households with children aged 0–59 months were surveyed at baseline and endline. Quantitative data were analyzed using Difference-in-Differences models with Poisson regression and generalized estimating equations to account for clustering, complemented by qualitative thematic analysis. Results: Households exposed to strengthened CACs showed significantly higher odds of optimal infant and young child feeding practices, including continued breastfeeding up to 24 months (aOR = 1.044; p = 0.032) and adequate meal frequency (aOR = 0.689; p = 0.045). Hygiene practices such as handwashing at critical times were strongly associated with CAC activities (aOR = 1.193; p = 0.002). By April 2024, exclusive breastfeeding in the intervention zone reached 93.6% compared with 58.2% in the control zone, while children with MUAC > 125 mm increased to 95.5% versus 58.0%. Difference-in-Differences analyses confirmed a statistically significant net intervention effect on key nutrition indicators. Conclusion: Strengthening CAC functional capacities significantly improved nutrition-related practices and nutritional outcomes among children under five. Scaling up CAC-based interventions with sustained supervision and reliable nutrition supply systems is recommended to enhance community-level nutrition impact.

Introduction: For thousands of years humanity has been struck by epidemics, scourges. Schools determine in part the health and well-being of children by providing them with a healthy or unhealthy environment. In South Kivu, the population is confronted with insufficient drinking water, inadequate sanitation facilities, including public latrines, garbage cans, public dumps. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study involving 401 respondents including 384 students and 17 heads of schools. Data collection was done using the survey questionnaire and an interview guide. The data analyses were done with SPSS v23 software. Results: The level of hygiene and sanitation practice is low (46.4%). This would be significantly associated with lack of access to water in schools, insufficient handwashing kits, non-drinkability of water used at school, absence of garbage cans and health days, non-washing of hands with soap before consuming food, non-participation in cleaning and maintenance, absence or poor quality of urinals in some schools, the non-separation of latrines for girls and boys, ignorance of the dangers of lack of hygiene and basic sanitation at school, poor construction of latrines, and non-washing of hands with soap after toilet (p<0.05). Conclusion: The practice of hygiene and sanitation remains weak and this must involve a collective awareness to find life-saving solutions in the training schools of executives.