International Development Grant
Improving Maternal and Infant Care
Project Number: CA-3-S065503001
Status: Closed
Country/Region:
Maximum Contribution: $549,412.00
Start Date: April 24, 2012
End Date: February 28, 2016
Duration: 3.8 years
Project Description
This project aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates in Ukerewe District by improving the quality of maternal and infant health services and increasing their use at the community level. Specific activities include: (1) training nurse educators as trainers of community-level health care workers on maternal and newborn care; (2) training traditional birth attendants to identify and refer high-risk pregnancies to clinics; and (3) conducting outreach and education sessions targeting households on pregnancy care on immediate care of newborns and on local programs for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS. The project is expected to reach around 66 000 mothers and 52 000 infants. The Canada Africa Community Health Alliance is working in partnership with local district councils district hospitals and women's centres to implement this project.
Expected Results
The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: (i) improved gender-sensitive management of ante-natal intra-partum and post-natal care in the target dispensaries and hospitals; (ii) increased referral of pregnant women and newborns for care in dispensaries by traditional birth attendants and enrollment of HIV positive pregnant women and newborns to the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV program; and (iii) increased health care seeking behaviour for newborn and infant care at dispensaries including participation in vaccination campaigns addressing gender and socio-cultural issues.
Progress & Results Achieved
Results achieved as of the end of the project (July 2015) include: (1) improved access to trained Health Professionals (HPs) and maternal and infant healthcare services; (2) strengthened capacity of the local partner namely the Ukerewe District Health Council (UDHC) to improve the knowledge and health practices of mothers and their newborns; (3) an average 18% increase (from 70% to 88%) in the knowledge of safe delivery practices;(4) an average 13% increase (from 60% to 73%) in the knowledge of gender sensitive topics among HPs; (5) a 15% increase in annual ante-natal care coverage (from 45% to 60%) across all health facilities; (6) a 42% increase in annual intra-partum care coverage (from 45% to 87%) as well as an increase of 25% in post-natal care coverage (from 41% to 66%); and (7) number of deliveries at the health facilities increased by 42% during the three years of the project. This contributed to strengthening the ability of the Ukerewe District to plan and deliver quality maternal and infant health services to reduce mortality rates amongst mothers and infants. Direct beneficiaries included 60 300 mothers newborns and infants. Indirect beneficiaries consisted of 310 271 persons living in the project catchment areas.
Key Information
Executing Agency:
CACHA - Canada-Africa Community Health Alliance
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