Engaging Communities and Health Workers for Sexual Reproductive Maternal and Newborn Health

This project aims to improve sexual reproductive maternal and newborn health (SRMNH) for women adolescent girls and newborns in the five most populous districts of Inhambane Province Mozambique. This is achieved by increasing community support and access to sexual reproductive maternal and newborn health care; training health workers; improving the capacity of health institutions; and promoting gender-responsive and evidence-based approaches for planning of cost-effective interventions. Project activities include: (1) mobilizing local leaders and community members in 20 communities on women’s empowerment and SRMNH; (2) creating and supporting networks of trained community-based health practitioners with links to health facilities; (3) designing and delivering an in-hospital initial and continuing education program; (4) strengthening the management of training institutions and training new health practitioners; (5) building or rehabilitating and equipping clinics for maternal and reproductive health; and (6) disseminating gender-responsive information and research on SRMNH. Community members in Inhambane Province mainly women and adolescent girls of child-bearing age (165 000) and newborns (23 000) are expected to benefit from increased use of higher quality health services.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased utilization of sexual reproductive maternal and newborn health (SRMNH) services by women adolescent girls and newborns in 20 targeted communities; (2) strengthened and gender-sensitive management training and delivery of quality SRMNH care by managers and practitioners in the Inhambane Directorate of Health and five targeted districts; (3) increased availability and consideration of research-based gender-responsive information to support planning of cost-effective SRMNH interventions by health system planners.