International Development Grant
Maternal Newborn and Child Health in Rwanda
Project Number: CA-3-S065358001
Status: Closed
Country/Region:
Maximum Contribution: $1,797,290.00
Start Date: January 25, 2012
End Date: April 30, 2015
Duration: 3.3 years
Project Description
This project aims to enhance the quality of maternal newborn and child health (MNCH) care in Rwandan health facilities. The project focuses on strengthening midwifery and paediatric nursing programs developing educational capacity to deliver professional development and providing an enabling environment for policy development. Project activities include: designing and launching advanced courses in neonatology and paediatrics including a Bachelor of Science Degree (BSc) Midwifery Program; strengthening medical faculty competencies in MNCH; and contributing to national health policy and planning. Ten midwifery faculty members per year participate in the proposed faculty development activities followed by 30 students enrolled the year the Midwifery BSc is offered. The Western University is working in partnership with the Kigali Health Institute and the National University of Rwanda on this project. This project is part of Canada's Maternal Newborn and Child Health commitment. The maximum CIDA contribution to this project includes $10 000 for monitoring purposes.
Progress & Results Achieved
Results achieved as of June 2013 include: (i) validating the midwifery program and completing the curriculum of the pediatric nursing program; (ii) providing training to expert trainers in the Continuing Professional Development program in obstetrics pediatrics obstetrical anesthesia maternal mental health and essential interventions and services; (iii) completing faculty workshops in Rwanda and in Canada to help midwifery and pediatric nursing educators in Rwanda to deliver competency-based curricula; (iv) developing a curriculum for an advanced postgraduate diploma in specialty advanced pediatrics and neonatology and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Midwifery; (v) completing needs assessment workshops in order to develop a curriculum to train mental health workers; and (vi) enrolling several Kigali Health Institute (KHI teachers in Master’s programs at Western University in Canada in areas such as maternal mental health pediatric nursing midwifery and nursing education leadership and enrolling one teacher in a PhD program in maternal mental health in nursing. These results are contributing to improving the delivery of health services at local levels (including by training more health workers equipping health care facilities and expanding access for mothers and children to needed health care services).
Key Information
Executing Agency:
Western University
Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada
Program:
YFMInternaAssistPartnershp&Programing Br
Last Modified:
September 19, 2025
Development Classifications
DAC Sector:
Aid Type: Project-type interventions
Collaboration: Bilateral
Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation
Selection Mechanism:
Pre-APP