MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH
Maternal and Child Health awareness under SASA Project that seeks to improve maternal, new born and child health in two districts of Mwanza that are Nyamagama and Ilemela districts.
The household visits and sessions conducted at health facilities and public gatherings have transformed lives. Many of the participants that attended various meetings and sessions acknowledged that they found awareness provided very helpful. New mothers learnt how to look after their new-borns and the expectant mothers how to prepare for their unborn babies.
The Community health workers (CHW’s) have carried on various awareness sessions and disseminating health informations to pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and men in different communities
PROJECT PROGRESS
- MCAN has maternal support team that meet once every month. Through this team more parents (mothers and fathers) are reached with the message about maternal health, health risks in childhood, how to prevent and intervene to facilitate development.
- As per community health workers meet monthly to share knowledge, new gaps are identified and they get equipped with knowledge and skills to cascade health messages in the local communities. They do this through running family visits and holding various health awareness sessions within the communities.
- Community health workers had done 90 awareness sessions, 8 topics including breastfeeding, immunization, primary Health care (PHC), use of drugs during pregnancy, birth preparedness, child growth monitoring, Infant and young child feeding and prevention /eradication of Mother to child transmission, and how to prepare nutritious food to support child’s health.
- Health sessions were conducted in 10 various communities in Mwanza in a period of nine months, starting from early January up to the end of September 2023.
Throughout the year’s, activities, a total of 2016 Adults were reached benefiting 802 Children. These activities included: MCH awareness sessions, community outreaches and household visits within various communities.