Project profile — Strengthening the Health Outcomes of Women and Child - COVID-19 Response



Overview 

CA-3-P001039002
$4,344,533
Plan International Canada (CA-CRA_ACR-0010011149)
2020-08-07 - 2022-06-30
Closed
Global Affairs Canada
YFMInternaAssistPartnershp&Programing Br

Country / region 

• Nigeria (25.00%)
• Bangladesh (26.00%)
• Ghana (23.00%)
• Senegal (26.00%)

Sector 

• Basic health care:
Basic health care (12220) (35.00%)
Health education (12261) (20.00%)
• Health: COVID-19 control (12264) (10.00%)
• Population policy and administrative management:
Population policy and administrative management (13010) (10.00%)
Reproductive health care (13020) (10.00%)
Personnel development for population and reproductive health (13081) (10.00%)
• Unallocated/ Unspecified: Promotion of development awareness (99820) (5.00%)

Policy marker 

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• 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 (principal 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)

Description 

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 five 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. COVID-19 response activities were also undertaken in four countries (Bangladesh, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal) that include: (1) developing and disseminating gender-integrated messaging related to COVID-19, including on hygiene, infection prevention, social distancing, mental health and MNCH or SRH (including Sexual and Gender-Based Violence prevention); (2) developing and increasing awareness towards unpaid care work issues, including equitable distribution of household roles, responsibilities and resources, and women’s and girls’ decision-making; (3) providing economic support for targeted vulnerable groups negatively affected by lockdown/social distancing such as cash transfers; (4) providing training and personal protective equipment to community-based health care workers; and (5) providing public places and health facilities with safe water, hygiene supplies, health care waste management and small-scale handwashing facilities. 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.

Expected results 

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. For the project’s COVID-19 activities: (1) increased demand for COVID-19 related messages and prevention measures and ongoing demand for MNCH or SRHR services, in addition to the burden faced by women and girls in terms of unpaid care work; (2) strengthened health system for COVID-19 response within broader national plans and continuity of MNCH or SRH services during the pandemic and post-pandemic periods; (3) enhanced community and government access to reliable, timely and effective use of data in response to COVID19; and (4) continued public engagement to inform Canadians on the COVID-19 response in developing countries and better understand that the response must be global.

Results achieved 

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 five countries, from 51 to 83 percent; (5) 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 or sexual and reproductive health and unpaid care work implemented; (6) 6586 health care workers (1,865 men and 4 721 women) trained on COVID-19, including transmission, prevention and sharing of information with communities; and (7) COVID-19 supplies and equipment distributed to 452 health facilities.

Budget and spending 


Original budget $0
Planned disbursement $0
Transactions
Transaction Date Type Value
30-12-2022 Disbursement $217,227
Country percentages by sector
Type of finance Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation
Collaboration type Bilateral
Type of aid Project-type interventions
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