www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
Slide 2
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living IFRC Membership organisation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent National Societies Network of 187, over 3 million
volunteers Auxillary role to national authorities Secretariat,
serves to provide technical guidance for national societies
Slide 3
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living RCRC and MNCH Implementing programmes over 20 years
through RCRC network and strategic alliances Programmes range from
comprehensive to community based activities eg. Serve to filling
gaps in service delivery Afghanistan Red Crescent supports network
of clinics -part of the Governments Basic Package of Health Service
Pakistan RC run mobile health units & programmes re-orientation
of TBAs and immunisation eg.Advancing national health agenda India
RC significant contribution to implementation of National Family
Welfare Programme
Slide 4
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living RCRC MNCH FRAMEWORK The framework provides guidance and
direction to National Societies in the planning, design and
implementation of programs and interventions In MNCH Identifies
MNCH Continuum of Care as the operational context for health
programming The Framework presents strategic objectives, cross-
cutting principles and a structured approach to guide the efforts
of the National Societies
Slide 5
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living
Slide 6
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Focus as RCRC and Added Value The principal focus of NS
in the MNCH activities is on interventions that can be delivered at
the community/home level and the first /outreach or primary level
The main delivery channel is a network of trained RC/RC volunteers
The interventions must be context-specific and linked with the
formal healthcare system, and they must have back-up support from
facility-based services.
Slide 7
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Considerations for MNCH programming in the Red Cross
Red Crescent Select interventions That are evidence-based Can be
delivered by volunteers with training in coordination with primary
health care Are consistent with national/regional health
priorities/health plans Address identified gaps in coverage of key
interventions across the continuum/improve the quality of their
delivery Incorporate gender and equity issues in design and
implementation
Slide 8
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Considerations for interventions that.. Promote
adoption of healthy behaviours, skilled care seeking Empower
communities to demand and access quality, skilled care through
mobilisation of community resources Consider balance of supply of
services to match increase in demand Encourage male involvement and
responsibilities Improve linkages between communities and their
health facilities and strengthen referral systems
Slide 9
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living MNCH interventions suitable for delivery at the
community/home level Continuum of CareIntervention Adolescents and
pre-pregnancy family planning, prevent and manage STI, MTCT, folic
acid Pregnancypromotion of ANC & skilled birth attendance,
nutrition Childbirthprophylactic uterotonics, management of PPH
Postnatal (maternal) Postnatal (newborn) family planning, PNC
immediate thermal care, initiation of exclusive breastfeeding,
hygienic cord and skin care Childhoodexclusive/continued
breastfeeding, prevention/case management of childhood malaria,
Vitamin A supplmentation, routine immunisation, case management of
pnemonia and diarrhoea Cross cuttinghome visits for women and
children across the continuum of care
Slide 10
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Examples of MNCH in Community based health programming
Promotion of ANC/skilled birth attendance in Afghanistan women to
women volunteers linking vulnerable women in urban settings in
Bangladesh to MCH centres. Childhood continuum of care promoting of
vaccination through campaigns to routine immunisation and access to
wider child health services in Pakistan
Slide 11
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Community and Health systems strengthening for MNCH in
Honduras Honduran RC implemented integrated program focused on
Maternal Child Health and strengthened community resilience. by
developing extensive partnerships working with both the centralized
and decentralized health providers Key elements: community
mobilization and empowerment advocacy for strengthened community
health resources at the local level promotion of gender equality
within family health improved access to institutional health
services both in terms of coverage and quality.
Slide 12
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living MNCH and Honduras Red Cross: Redes project The project
aimed to i) improve maternal-child health; ii) improve the quality
and coverage of local health services; and iii) strengthen capacity
and coordination among local health actors. The project targeted
80,000 beneficiaries in 229 communities in northwestern Honduras,
in the Departments of Copan and Santa Barbara.
Slide 13
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Gender equality, Engaging men in maternal and child
health, 3 delays Intervention increased community awareness of the
roles of women and men increased participation of men in maternal
child health family & community organisation to address 3
delays increased capacity of municipal governments and partner
institutions to promote gender equality.
Slide 14
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Why Engage Men in MNCH ? To reduce delays in decision
making through promotion of shared responsibility 14
Slide 15
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Community-Based Volunteers Redes created and trained
Networks of Influential Leaders (both male and female) to have
conversations and model behaviours with neighbours and friends on:
how men can participate during pregnancy, birth and
post-partum,
Slide 16
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Power of One Local Change Agent: Nurse Ana Began with
her husbands soccer team friends, talking to them about
reproductive health and how to participate during pregnancy, birth
and post-partum
Slide 17
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Health Personnel Men were not allowed in the health
centre during the prenatal control, birth or post-natal control
Health Centre space was considered female Redes trained medical
personnel using the gender-based manuals: Invited men to accompany
their wives to prenatal visits, Prepared a birthing plan together,
Promoted an institutional birth, Supported post-natal visits
Slide 18
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Impact on Maternal and Child health through Redes
improvement of mother and child health and increased access to
local health services was demonstrated throughout the continuum of
care eg. Newborn deaths decreased from 40% to 29% Attendance at ANC
increased from 61% to 81% Breastfeeding until 2 years increased
from 47% to 71% The project also built a solid platform for
engagement on MNCH policy and programming between key national
actors and partners committed to MNCH programming in Honduras.
Honduran Red Cross strengthened its capacity to deliver
interventions across the continuum of care.
Slide 19
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Challenges to implementing MNCH programmes in RCRC Weak
link to country/local health systems Implementation of community
programmes to scale Volunteer skills
Slide 20
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds. Towards Healthy and
Safe Living Going to scale, addressing volunteer skills and health
system link RCRC Priorities moving forward Taskshifting Integrated
community case management (iCCM) eg.Kenya home management of
malaria expands to management of pneumonia and diarrhoea and Mobile
technology/ICT to facilitate going to scale Use of standardised
indicators for monitoring and reporting impact (ref CoIA )
