Scaling Up Maternal and Child Healthcare in The Hunger Project’s Epicenters
Situation:
The chances of survival for mothers and children in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Ghana, are significantly lower than in other regions of the world. Around 30 million people live in Ghana and life expectancy is 61 years. There are major differences between rural and urban areas in terms of access to healthcare services. Despite investment in maternal and child health care, major challenges remain:
- The mortality risk of women of childbearing age is very high (1 in 82) compared to Germany (1 in 9,400).
- The mortality rate for children under the age of 5 is 48 per 1,000 (4 per 1,000 in Germany).
- There is a lack of medically trained staff and equipment in rural areas.
- There is little local knowledge and action to promote health, and traditional views are often held that restrict the use of health services for mothers and children.
- The loss of a mother can have a serious impact on the family, including poverty and hunger.
Objectives:
The project aims to improve health services for 2,200 mothers and children, thereby reducing maternal and infant mortality in 5 village communities (epicenters) in Ghana. The project measures reach 17,000 people and at the same time protect the livelihoods of mothers and their families. Indirectly, up to 32,000 people from the catchment area of the epicenters will benefit from the project.
- Improved delivery of maternal, newborn and child health care services by 2025
- Increased access to quality maternal, newborn and child health care services by 2025
- Improved local community knowledge and awareness on maternal and child health and nutrition
Our partner THP Ghana is implementing this project in the third phase from August 2022 to July 2025 in the village communities of 5 epicenters in the Eastern Region. In close cooperation with the Ghana Health Service on the ground, the project contributes to building the capacity of the rural population (in the epicenters) and health officials. It helps rural residents in underserved and disadvantaged rural areas to access maternal and child health care.
- Through training, approximately 16,000 women and men of reproductive age are educated on topics such as maternal, child and newborn health.
- 1,200 women are provided with obstetric health services in the clinics of the epicenters.
- In addition, 1,000 children under the age of 5 are provided with health services such as growth promotion, nutrition and immunization.
- The project trains 10 health workers as midwife assistants.
- In addition, the project is training 25 members for a village community health committee.
- 20 volunteers from the villages are trained as multipliers on the topics of nutrition and maternal, child and newborn health.
- 5 clinics in the epicenters receive medical equipment, such as birthing chairs, ultrasound machines, blood pressure monitors, blood glucose meters and baby scales.
The project will be handed over to the local Ghana Health Service, which is a state institution responsible for providing high-quality health services according to defined standards.
At the end of the funding phase of the project, the trained midwife assistants will remain employees of GHS and will be paid by the government. The medical equipment provided as part of the project will also be handed over to the local health department for use and maintenance.
The formation of health committees in the village community and the training of health workers encourage the active participation of the community. This is crucial for the sustainability of the project. The trained volunteers can continue their voluntary work after the end of the project. This will be part of the national network of health volunteers.
The project is characterized by its holistic approach to reducing maternal and infant mortality in Ghana. By providing specialized training for obstetricians and equipping clinics, access to quality healthcare is improved and awareness campaigns are carried out. The transfer of the project to the Ghana Health Service, the state institution for health services, after the end of the project is particularly outstanding. This ensures that the progress achieved is maintained in the long term and integrated into the national healthcare system.
Further information can be found here.
https://das-hunger-projekt.de/
https://das-hunger-projekt.de/ghana-mutter-kind-gesundheit-staerken/
