Health
Is Everywhere
Food, Water, Health Care, and the environment are foundational to sustainable Health
"Communities and countries are only as strong as the health of their women"
Our work in support of the health of women and girls
Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
Carried out between 2012 and 2015, the objective of this project was to reduce maternal, infant and child morbidity and mortality rates in Tanzania’s Bunda District. This was to be achieved through improving the delivery of health services and enhancing the continuum of care for mothers, newborns and children. The project built the capacity of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Local Dispensary health professionals through the provision of formal and informal training.
Some featured results:
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Increased pre-natal care coverage.
TBAs learned about pre-natal care and how to identify danger signs present in risky pregnancies. The TBAs encouraged pregnant women to access pre-natal services available to them beginning in their first trimester, which included four visits from a TBA and early screening for possible complications during pregnancy. Links between TBAs and local clinics were also strengthened.
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The number of facility-based deliveries accompanied by a skilled birth attendant increased.
Skilled birth attendants include doctors, assistant medical officers, clinical officers, assistant clinical officers, nurses, midwives or MNCH aides. In cases where mothers were unable to deliver in a health facility, the training provided to Traditional Birth Attendants enabled them to carry out safe home-based deliveries.
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Increased coverage of post-natal care for mothers and babies.
More mothers and babies received post-natal care services within 24 hours of delivery, and then again within 24 to 72 hours. The women were examined to make sure there were no post-natal complications, such as bleeding or infections.
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Training provided to Community Health Workers improved the health of children under age five.
Community Health Workers educated households on detecting malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia so that children are brought to health facilities at an earlier stage for care and treatment. The CHWs also conducted follow-up visits to households with sick children to ensure the children had safely recovered from their illnesses. Community-based training about the nutritional requirements of pregnant women, infants and young children also increased the general health of young children.