Project profile — SMART-RMC (Respectful Maternity Care)

• South Sudan (50.00%)
• Congo, Democratic Republic (50.00%)

• Population policy and administrative management:
Population policy and administrative management (13010) (23.04%)
Reproductive health care (13020) (21.74%)
Personnel development for population and reproductive health (13081) (55.22%)

• 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)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Nutrition (significant objective)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This project seeks to decrease maternal morbidity and mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan by increasing women’s access to gender-responsive, quality care as well as their ability to advocate for their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Activities include: conducting gender-sensitive public consultations in each country context to understand the incidence levels, experiences and causes of disrespectful and respectful maternal care; engaging health centre workers in targeted facilities to improve the quality of care through quality improvement campaigns, low-dose/high-frequency training, and by establishing centres of innovation; and undertaking national-level awareness raising by professional midwifery associations through events, media, and government engagement activities. This project will directly reach 1,100 women and girls of childbearing age in selected communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 700 women and girls in South Sudan.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased use of a gender-sensitive rights-based approach, and evidence-based appropriate innovations in health cadres (led by midwives and nurses) in targeted health facilities; (2) improved ability among women of child-bearing age (including those most vulnerable) to act on their sexual and reproductive health and rights (specifically respectful maternal care rights) and access skilled birth attendants in targeted health facilities; and (3) strengthened capacity among professional midwifery associations (local women-led civil society organizations) to deliver gender responsive programming and sexual and reproductive health and rights advocacy in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

Results achieved as of March 2024 include: (1) 14,749 women of reproductive age in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) delivered with a skilled birth attendant at targeted facilities, up from 10,939 in 2023; (2) 3,625 women of reproductive age in South Sudan accessed postnatal care at targeted health facilities, up from 2,216 in 2023; (3) trained 35 midwife trainers, 31 (20 women and 11 men) in DRC and 4 (2 women and 2 men) in South Sudan, to provide instruction and mentoring in respectful maternity care and clinical skills; (4) trained 237 midwives,154 (130 women and 24 men) in DRC and 83 (32 women and 51 men) in South Sudan, in respectful maternity care and clinical skills.

• Proactive disclosure