Project profile — Canada-Africa Initiative to Address Maternal and Child Mortality - COVID-19 Response

• Malawi (25.00%)
• Ethiopia (25.00%)
• Kenya (25.00%)
• Senegal (25.00%)

• Health education:
Health education (12261) (5.00%)
Health personnel development (12281) (15.00%)
• Health: COVID-19 control (12264) (70.00%)
• Basic sanitation:
Basic sanitation (14032) (5.00%)
Education and training in water supply and sanitation (14081) (5.00%)

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

This project aims to reduce maternal, neonatal and child mortality in select communities by working with local health authorities, and supporting the use of an integrated approach focused on health, nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene. The project also provides additional funds in response to the immediate needs of the COVID-19 pandemic by training and supporting health care workers, disseminating key health information, and deploying water, sanitation and hygiene supplies and simple infrastructure in communities. Project activities include: (1) deploying mobile technology to train and support healthcare workers and community health workers in line with Ministry of Health response plans; (2) developing and implementing community engagement strategies to disseminate key health information, education and communication materials; and (3) deploying rapid water, sanitation and hygiene supplies, simple infrastructure and responses at the community level. This project expects to directly benefit 947,922 people (of which 481,622 women and girls), comprised of health care workers, community health workers and other community agents.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved delivery of essential health services to mothers, pregnant women, newborns and children under five; (2) improved utilization of essential health services by mothers, pregnant women, newborns and children under five; and (3) increased consumption of nutritious foods and supplements by mothers, pregnant women, newborns and children under five.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (June 2022) include: (1) trained 28,958 community health workers (18,512 women and 10,446 men) on how to prevent and respond to COVID-19; (2) reached 33,508,044 community members (17,272,664 women and 16,235,380 men) with key health information through community engagement, education and communication campaigns. The topics covered included: COVID-19, maternal and child health, and sexual and gender-based violence; (3) trained 3,085 teachers (920 women and 2,165 men) in Kenya and Malawi on COVID-19 prevention and psychosocial first aid related to sexual and gender-based violence; and (4) provided 1,287 handwashing stations to health facilities, schools and community spaces to prevent and control infections.

• Proactive disclosure
• Related activities: Canada-Africa Initiative to Address Maternal, Newborn and Child Mortality - COVID-19 Response