Aug 26, 2020
In January 2020, the Gay Lea Foundation announced its support for Saving Lives of Mothers and Children in Nepal and Vietnam, a multi-pronged project coordinated by HealthBridge Foundation of Canada to strengthen health systems, improve nutrition and promote healthy families in hard-to-reach communities of Nepal and Vietnam. .
First initiated in 2016, the project focuses on working with local partners and governments in Banke District of Nepal and Son La Province of Vietnam to provide skills development, training and ongoing supportive supervision to improve the quality of facility- and community-based health services in these communities. The project also aims to strengthen knowledge of infant and maternal health and nutrition among community members including local men and women.
With the support of donors including Global Affairs Canada, the Unifor Social Justice Fund, the Peter Gilgan Foundation, Peterborough K.M. Hunter Charitable Foundation, Tenaquip Foundation and the Gay Lea Foundation, the project has achieved many successes over a four-year period, a number of which are highlighted below:
Banke District of Nepal
Maternal, newborn and child outcomes are very poor in this remote area of Nepal, where the mortality rate was 258 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015, compared to seven deaths per 100,000 live births in Canada the same year.
Working with the International Nepal Fellowship and local stakeholders, HealthBridge has focused on six primary project activities in the Raptisonari and Narainapur Rural Municipalities of Banke District:
Key Achievements
Through its efforts in the Banke District, HealthBridge reports that the percentage of deliveries in a health facility with a skilled attendant has increased by eight per cent in the region, and that the proportion of women and newborns who receive post-natal care has improved by seven per cent. The proportion of men and family members who know three danger signs during pregnancy, the post-partum period, and of childhood illness has nearly doubled.
Significant improvements in health facilities have also been seen, in terms of infrastructure, infection control and equipment, and all health facilities in the project area now have 24/7 delivery care.
Son La Province, Vietnam
In the Son La Province of Vietnam, HealthBridge worked with ethnic minority communities, with primary project activities including:
Key Achievements
HealthBridge reports that the proportion of births taking place at a health facility has increased by 25 per cent in the Son La Province, while the percentage of women who gave birth at home assisted by a trained birth attendant has increased by seven times. The percentage of newborns receiving health checks within 24 hours of birth has nearly tripled, and nearly double the number of mothers has reported exclusively breastfeeding of their baby for six months.
The Impact of COVID-19
“Throughout the course of the COVID-19 health crisis, HealthBridge has continued to work on its mission of improving health and health equity throughout the world, especially among the world’s most vulnerable populations,” says Stephanie Wiafe, Communications and Engagement Officer, HealthBridge.
“The effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, and responses to the outbreak, such as lock down measures that reduce access to health centers on vulnerable populations has highlighted the importance of our work in strengthening health systems and improving access to health services. With many of these populations still experiencing the devastation of COVID-19, we will continue our work in improving the health and well-being of all.”
View the full HealthBridge report Strengthening Health Systems and Improving Nutrition in Nepal and Vietnam at https://HealthBridge.ca/images/uploads/library/Web_Version_-_MNCH_Project_Brief_Full_Package.pdf.
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