Supporting Essential Maternal and Child Health Services in Benin and Togo

The project focuses on the delivery of multiple and complementary interventions to support and build up the infrastructure training and sustainability of essential health services particularly relating to maternal and child health at the level of multiple rural communities across Benin and Togo. The project comprises a concentric health clinic model seeking to improve: (i) access to clean water; (ii) training in healthy practices and gender equality; and (iii) maternal newbord and child health (MNCH) across nutrition clinical prevention and disease management domains. The beneficiaries are mothers pregnant women newborns and children under five. Other direct beneficiaries include clinic workers equipped and trained other women villagers involved in leadership opportunities and all villagers through equitable access to an environmentally sustained clean water source and training in healthy practices. GAIN Canada works closely alongside GAIN Bénin GAIN Togo Alliance de santé communautaire Canada Bénin (ASCCB) and Vision initiative et engagement pour la santé (VIES) in order to implement this project.

The expected outcome impacting mothers pregnant women newborns and children under five include: i) improving availability and utilization of essential health services through clean drinking water training improving antenatal care and advancing MNCH and WASH through the training of clinic workers and by using active community networks; and (ii) increasing absorption and consumption of nutritious foods nutrition counselling new healthy practices supported by Family Health champions and sanitation and hygiene training.