Improving Maternal and Child Health in Mozambique - Phase III

Mozambique

The project aimed to substantially reduce maternal and child mortality rates in 12 target districts in Sofala province by 2020. Specifically, it seeked to decrease maternal deaths by 40% and child mortality by 30%. It also envisioned a pro-active community environment where family members and the wider community collaborated closely with the public health system to improve the health conditions in their communities. This achieved by increasing the number of people reached and thereby scaling up the impact of the previous accomplishment. Project Locations: Caia, Marromeu, Muanza, Marringue and Cheringoma (Reference Districts); Gorongosa, Buzi , Chibabava , Machanga , Nhamatanda and Chemba (Maintenance Districts) – Province of Sofala, Mozambique. Among the major achievements of the project were: 1) the construction of 11 mother waiting houses with water access and solar energy; 2) the construction/rehabilitation of water systems in 10 health centers, 2 schools and 4 communities; 3) the installation / rehabilitation of 10 solar energy systems in health posts; 4) technical advice to 13 water committees to increase sustainability of installed water systems; 5) setting up of a community-based patient transport system. All activities were accompanied by comprehensive capacity-building with regards to maternal child health, WASH, and, in 2020, COVID-19 prevention. The combined achievements have had a considerable impact on maternal-child health through the improved service for pregnant women thanks to the mother waiting houses, better equipment and capacity building in health centers, including availability of reliable and safe water. The latter is also of great benefit for health center staff, other in- and outpatients as well as the communities living around the health centers, since the availability of clean water reduces the risks of contracting WASH-related diseases, which, particularly in children, often have fatal consequences. Even though cyclone Idai and the COVID-19 pandemic were a big challenge for project implementation, the project was successfully completed as planned at the end of 2020.