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Technical Cooperation |
Keywords: Maternal and Child Health Handbook, Maternal and Child Health, Impact Evaluation, Community Activities. As a result of long-term colonial rule and a 27-year civil war that followed Angola's independence in 1975, the country's economic and social infrastructure had been severely damaged. Even more than ten years after the end of the civil war in 2002, health indicators in Angola remain at a poor level compared to other low- and middle-income countries. In particular, maternal mortality rates and under-five mortality rates have long been among the highest in the world. A major reason for these high mortality rates is the low utilization of maternal and child health services. In response to this situation, Japan International Cooperation (JICA), at the request of the Angolan government, implemented the "Project for Strengthening the Health Systems through Human Resource Development in Josina Machel Hospital and other Health Facilities and Revitalization of Primary Health Care in Angola" (hereinafter referred to as ProFORSA) from 2011 to 2014. ProFORSA piloted the development and introduction of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, leveraging Japan's experience and knowledge with the handbook. However, since the support for the introduction of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook was experimental, it became difficult for the Angolan side to continue the activities after the project ended. The pilot confirmed positive changes such as improved knowledge among pregnant women and health workers using the handbook for health education. As a result, the Angolan government requested support for the dissemination and establishment of the handbook and the capacity building of healthcare workers using it, leading to the commencement of this project in May 2017. The main activities are "Nationwide Introduction and Development of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook," "Establishment of a System for Utilizing and Monitoring & Supervision (M&S) of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook," "Educational Activities to Improve Knowledge of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook in the Community," and "Implementation of Impact Evaluation." Main Activities: 1. Nationwide Introduction and Development of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook: ・Establish procedures for revising the handbook, manuals, and guidelines ・Promote sustainability in the dissemination and utilization of the handbook ・Formulate a strategy for nationwide rollout 2. Establishment of a System for Utilizing and M&S of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook: ・Review and revise the handbook ・Conduct training for instructors and healthcare workers on the use of the handbook ・Distribute the handbook ・Implement M&S after the introduction of the handbook 3. Educational Activities to Improve Knowledge of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook in the Community: ・Support the development of educational tools for community awareness and maternity classes 4. Implementation of Impact Evaluation: ・Conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial in ten municipalities of Benguela Province, dividing them into intervention and non-intervention groups The Angolan government aims to expand the Maternal and Child Health Handbook nationwide. Overcoming various challenges step by step, we work daily with our counterparts to improve maternal and child health services. TA Networking has dispatched three experts in this project: a chief operations officer/policy expert on the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, a maternal and child health/nutrition expert, and a training management/operations coordination expert. This project is being implemented jointly with Samauma Consulting LLC.
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