Project profile — Saving Children’s Lives by Addressing MNCH Gaps

• Haiti (16.70%)
• Peru (9.20%)
• Ethiopia (23.00%)
• Cambodia (15.60%)
• Indonesia (18.40%)
• Namibia (17.10%)

• Health, General: Health policy and administrative management (12110) (62.20%)
• Basic health care:
Basic health care (12220) (9.10%)
Basic nutrition (12240) (9.10%)
Health education (12261) (11.30%)
Health personnel development (12281) (8.30%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Children's issues (significant objective)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

The project aims to reduce child mortality in targeted regions benefitting an estimated 452,345 women and 3,740,379 children. Substantial progress has been made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health. However, this progress often conceals widening disparities in given countries or regions. This project aims to address health disparities and gaps in maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH), by prioritizing interventions identified as critical to advancing progress in reducing child mortality. Project activities include: (1) conduct and analyse research on health needs and solutions for mothers and children; (2) review and enhance existing policies and guidelines to improve MNCH; (3) develop and provide training on gender responsive MNCH interventions, on civil registration and vital statistics systems, and on health information management system; (4) test and implement models to address gaps in MNCH; (5) develop and deliver community awareness campaigns to increase knowledge on MNCH interventions; and (6) procure and distribute critical health supplies. This project is part of Canada's commitment for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

The expected results for this project include: (1) improved collection and sharing of civil registration and vital statistics system data by governments in targeted countries; (2) improved provision of equitable and gender responsive MNCH interventions; and (3) enhanced commitment to scale up proven MNCH interventions by stakeholders in selected countries.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (March 2021) include: (1) reached over two million children and adolescents and nearly 600,000 women in targeted regions of Cambodia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Namibia and Peru; (2) improved child health for girls and boys across the six countries. For example, data from Cambodia indicated an improvement in the health status of girls and boys in Kratie and Ratanakiri over the project’s lifespan. Between 2016 and 2020, the percentage of children with acute malnutrition dropped from 19.2% to 5.9% in Kratie and from 12.6% to 8.8% in Ratanakiri; (3) played a critical role in the establishment and roll-out of Ethiopia’s civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system. This technical and institutional capacity-building helped maintain 99% CRVS coverage in the Amhara region. As a result, 3,799 out of 3,838 kebeles (wards of Ethiopia) in the region now provide birth registration and certification and other vital events. This is above the national average of 92%; and (4) in Haiti, UNICEF, in collaboration with the National Water and Sanitation Directorate and non-governmental organization partners, procured 200 hand water pumps and three solar pumps, reaching 21,823 households. Also established and trained 68 community-based water management committees to ensure the sustainability of the water systems.

• Proactive disclosure