CARE, Malawi gov’t launch Muuni Wauchembere Wabwino
CARE Malawi in partnership with the Ministry of Health has launched a participatory governance health project called Muuni Wauchembere Wabwino to be implemented in 10 catchment areas of Ntcheu district up to 2015.
The project is aimed at promoting community involvement in a collaborative assessment of the performance of selected health facilities by creating spaces for negotiation between service providers and service users in delivery of maternal and neonatal health services.
Speaking during the launch of the project in traditional authority Champiti in Ntcheu, Country Director for CARE Malawi, Michael Rewald said it would help to improve health outcomes for women and children in the district with focus on increasing access to quality health services and improving practice of key health behaviors in maternal and child health, prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and family planning.
“CARE Malawi is very proud of its close working relationship with, and support from the national and district health officials and the community health workers, as well as the strong relationship is has developed with communities in which it works,” said Rewald.
Rewald said Muuni Wauchembere Wabwino has adopted unique approach to improving health outcomes of mothers and children, focusing on behavioral changes in both health service providers and people who use the services.
“Instead of focusing on technical fixes to improve health outcomes, MHAP is working to improve the communication and understanding between health care workers and health care users,” he said.
Rewald added that in the project, CARE would bring together community members, health care providers and other key stakeholders from local and district authorities, in a mutual process of identifying needs, concerns and barriers to effective service delivery and health outcomes on maternal, newborn and child health.
Under the project, CARE Malawi will be using an internationally recognized participatory governance tool called Community Score Card to bring together community members, health service providers and other stakeholders to identify challenges, generate solutions and track effectiveness of agreed solutions in an ongoing process of quality improvement of health services.
On her part, Director of Reproductive Health Unit in the Ministry of Health, Fanny Kachale, said Muuni Wauchembere Wabwino, with its participatory approach, would go a long way in bridging the gap that has long existed between providers and users of health services in the community.
“The Ministry supports and would want to see meaningful interaction among community members, health service providers and local partners in the health service delivery to identify areas for improving implementation, generating locally applicable and innovative solutions, and holding each other mutually accountable for achieving quality of health services in maternal and neonatal health,” said Kachale.
Muuni Wauchembere Wabwino project is being funded by the Sall Foundation through CARE USA and will be implemented in the catchment areas of Biriwiri, Nsipe, Kasinje, Katsekera, Tsangano, Champiti, Chigodi, Nsiyaludzu, Kapeni and Mikoke.
In addition, 10 more areas in the district have been earmarked as control areas to be used for comparing health outcomes of the project.
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