Improving Basic Health Care and SRH for Populations Affected by COVID-19

This project aims to provide emergency health services to populations affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the regions of Sahel Centre Nord Nord and Boucle du Mouhoun in Burkina Faso. The project supports a programming that offers primary health care incorporating sexual and reproductive health (SRH) including gender-based violence (GBV). The project aims to improve the health of populations especially women and girls by broadening primary health care service coverage which includes SRH in regions with the highest concentration of internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso. Two areas of focus are anticipated: (1) ensuring access to primary health care and sexual and reproductive health services in the context of COVID-19; and (2) ensuring that the intervention’s target population uses the available services. COVID-19 considerations are incorporated into the health services to help address the needs of the population particularly women and girls and thus promote and maintain access to quality health care and continued use of the services.

The expected outcome for this project include: (1) health institutions have medications and medico-technical equipment including improved local capacity of laboratories facilitating the delivery of quality health care and SRH care; (2) local community networks have the capacity to organize community orientation and engagement sessions on attitudes and behavioural changes in the face of epidemic diseases particularly COVID-19; (3) women and adolescent girls receive psychosocial and material support to prevent gender-based violence in the context of COVID-19; and (4) the health system in the targeted regions is strengthened and is involved in implementing monitoring activities designed to detect and combat priority illnesses and conditions including COVID-19.