Project profile — Strengthening Health Outcomes for Women and Children

• Nigeria (21.68%)
• Canada (1.61%)
• Senegal (17.67%)
• Haiti (12.68%)
• Bangladesh (25.68%)
• Ghana (20.68%)

• Basic health care:
Basic health care (12220) (39.16%)
Health education (12261) (25.33%)
• Population policy and administrative management:
Population policy and administrative management (13010) (10.17%)
Reproductive health care (13020) (9.49%)
Personnel development for population and reproductive health (13081) (10.85%)
• Unallocated/ Unspecified: Promotion of development awareness (99820) (5.00%)

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

This project contributes to reducing maternal and child mortality amongst vulnerable women and children, including adolescent girls, in targeted underserved remote areas of Bangladesh, Ghana, Haiti, Nigeria and Senegal. The project works in these 5 countries to improve the quality, availability and utilization of essential maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services, and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. The project also works to strengthen the Canadian public’s understanding of the reasons behind Canada’s global investments in MNCH and SRH. Project activities include: (1) raising awareness of local leaders, role models and various community groups on ongoing MNCH services and positive healthcare practices, including health care-seeking behaviours; (2) training health care providers at community and health facility levels on key MNCH interventions; (3) providing essential medicines and other medical supplies; (4) training health administrators and local health committees on planning, supervision and oversight of health resources and facilities; (5) training health workers and drivers in referring patients requiring more advanced care at specialized facilities and providing health facilities with mobile technology and vehicles to facilitate emergency transportation; and (6) training and mentoring health care staff on improved data collection and reporting to inform local government on health resources and services planning. Plan International Canada implements this project in partnership with Promundo and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), and with Plan International offices in the project’s 5 targeted countries, local governments, and local NGOs.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved utilization of essential health services by mothers, pregnant women, adolescent girls, newborns and children under five years of age; (2) improved delivery of quality health services to mothers, pregnant women, adolescent girls, newborns and children under five years of age; (3) increased dissemination and use of MNCH data; and (4) increased endorsement by the Canadian public of Canadian global funding addressing MNCH issues.

Results achieved as of September 2022 include: (1) the percentage of pregnant women receiving prenatal care at least four times during pregnancy has increased by 21 percent, from 52 to 73 percent across all five countries; (2) the percentage of births attended by a skilled birth attendant in project areas increased by an average of 20 percent, from 57 to 77 percent; (3) the percentage of women attending postnatal care within 48 hours of giving birth increased by 11 percent, from 52 to 63 percent in project areas; (4) the percentage of health facilities that utilize environmentally safe waste disposal methods increased by an average of 32 percent across all 5 countries, from 51 to 83 percent; (5) also, implemented 6,872 behavioural change communication and mobilization strategies in hygiene, infection prevention, social distancing, COVID-19 vaccine mobilization, mental health and maternal, newborn and child health / sexual and reproductive health , and unpaid care work; (6) trained 6586 health care workers (1,865 men and 4 721 women) on COVID-19, including transmission, prevention and sharing of information with communities; and (7) distributed COVID-19 supplies and equipment to 452 health facilities.

• Proactive disclosure