Project profile — Delivering Healthy Futures in the Democratic Republic of Congo

• Congo, Democratic Republic (100.00%)

• Basic Health: Health education (12261) (30.05%)
• Reproductive health care:
Reproductive health care (13020) (12.48%)
Family planning (13030) (10.00%)
STD control including HIV/AIDS (13040) (10.05%)
Personnel development for population and reproductive health (13081) (12.39%)
• Basic drinking water supply:
Basic drinking water supply (14031) (4.95%)
Basic sanitation (14032) (7.52%)
Waste management/disposal (14050) (2.52%)
Education and training in water supply and sanitation (14081) (10.04%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• 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 (principal objective)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This initiative aims to reduce maternal and child mortality in 20 villages in Lubutu and Walikale, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Project activities include: (1) training health workers and community volunteers in reproductive health, family planning tools, water, hygiene and sanitation; (2) sensitizing community members in reproductive health, family planning tools, water, hygiene and sanitation; (3) sensitizing pregnant women in safe pregnancy, delivery and motherhood; (4) building and equipping maternity wards with basic material, supplies and equipment; (5) providing supplies and material to support family planning promotion in health centres; (6) equipping mobile health units with material and supplies to deliver ante and post-natal care in remote areas; (7) constructing maternity wards with latrines and showers, medical waste incinerators, and placenta and waste pits; and (8) providing clean water to new maternity wards and surrounding communities. This project is expected to directly reach 77,209 people. The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada is implementing this project in collaboration with the following local partners: Jane Goodall Institute of the DRC, the Programme National de Santé de la Reproduction – Maniema Province, and the Programme National de Santé de la Reproduction – North Kivu Province.

The expected results include: (1) improved delivery of essential health services to mothers, pregnant women, newborns and children under five; (2) improved practices in reproductive health and water, sanitation and hygiene by community members including women, men, families and community volunteers; (3) improved utilization of essential health services by mothers, pregnant women, newborns and children under five.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (November 2020) include: (1) increased the percentage of live births attended by skilled health personnel from 66% to 99.4%; (2) increased the number of fully immunized children aged 0-11 months by 346%; (3) increased the number of newborns in targeted health facilities who were exclusively breastfed from 41% to 95%; (4) increased the number of new cases adopting family planning methods by 876%; (5) increased the percentage of women who received prenatal care at least four times during their pregnancy increased as follows from 15% to 65.4%; and (6) increased the percentage of mothers who received postnatal care within two days of childbirth from 84% to 99.2%.

• Proactive disclosure