SMART-RMC (Respectful Maternity Care)

This project seeks to decrease maternal morbidity and mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan by increasing women’s access to gender-responsive quality care as well as their ability to advocate for their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Activities include: conducting gender-sensitive public consultations in each country context to understand the incidence levels experiences and causes of disrespectful and respectful maternal care; engaging health centre workers in targeted facilities to improve the quality of care through quality improvement campaigns low-dose/high-frequency training and by establishing centres of innovation; and undertaking national-level awareness raising by professional midwifery associations through events media and government engagement activities. This project will directly reach 1 100 women and girls of childbearing age in selected communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 700 women and girls in South Sudan.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased use of a gender-sensitive rights-based approach and evidence-based appropriate innovations in health cadres (led by midwives and nurses) in targeted health facilities; (2) improved ability among women of child-bearing age (including those most vulnerable) to act on their sexual and reproductive health and rights (specifically respectful maternal care rights) and access skilled birth attendants in targeted health facilities; and (3) strengthened capacity among professional midwifery associations (local women-led civil society organizations) to deliver gender responsive programming and sexual and reproductive health and rights advocacy in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.