Integrated Maternal Health Programme, Phase 2, 2010-14
Following the success of Phase 1 of our original integrated maternal health programme in West Wollega, from 2010 we have been working closely with our sister organisation, Maternity Worldwide Denmark, to continue to expand and develop maternal health services in the area.
Maternity Worldwide Denmark and Maternity Worldwide are rolling out the work in accordance with their four year strategic plan. The goal of the programme is to contribute to the reduction of maternal and neonatal deaths and morbidity among women and their babies in West Wollega.
The objectives are:
To increase the percentage of births occurring in the health facilities attended by skilled birth attendants from 12% to 60% in the targeted districts through developing emergency obstetric care, health promotion, strengthening the capacity of health facilities and improving the economic status of women.
Achievements during 2011 include:
- Extending the programme to 60 new villages
In 2011 we provided Emergency Obstetric Care training to 104 staff from four hospitals and four health centres
- Training 17 lead community outreach facilitators who in turn trained 300 community health promoters, visiting 4,100 households in our target district (using the Care Group approach)
- Launching the eRanger motorcycle ambulance project to transport women with complications in labour to health facilities
- In collaboration with the Oromia Credit and Saving Share Company, providing revolving loans to 233 of the poorest women in the area to improve their livelihood and status in the community.
- Facilitating the formation of 20 Village Savings and Loans Associations to support the very poorest families.
Maternity Worldwide continues to provide technical and professional support to the integrated maternal health programme by arranging placements of highly experienced and skilled obstetricians and midwives to deliver training to local staff. We have also added to the range of maternal health services available in West Wollega by developing the Primary Care Outreach Project and the Safe Place of Birth Project.
Latest News
The Guernsey Overseas Aid Commission have awarded us a grant to build 3 waiting homes in the West Wollega region of Ethiopia. The waiting homes will be built next to health centres and are available for pregnant women, who have been identified as being at-risk of a complicated delivery, to stay in from a couple of weeks before their due date. This will enable women to access healthcare as soon as they go into labour rather than having to make a long, difficult journey through rough terrain (as shown in photo) when labour has already begun. We will be posting updates on the building of the waiting homes here over the next few months so please check back soon!
