UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

Published purpose

The Catalytic Initiative to Save a Million Lives brings together an international partnership with the goal to accelerate progress on the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). CIDA provides support to this initiative through the Integrated Health System Strengthening Program, implemented by UNICEF. This project aims to strengthen health systems, with particular emphasis on human resources for health, by scaling up a package of essential, high-impact interventions and services that dramatically reduce rates of death and disease among children and mothers. To ensure the most vulnerable populations are reached, UNICEF is training, equipping and deploying community health workers to diagnose and treat children for common causes of illness and mortality in their communities. This project is implemented in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique and Niger.