UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

Published purpose

The goal of this project is to help save the lives of mothers and children by improving the treatments available at the community level for life-threatening illnesses and conditions. It supports the organization of a three-day international symposium on integrated community case management (iCCM). iCCM was developed to provide prompt, effective treatment for children in their own community, instead of transferring them to clinics or hospitals. The iCCM approach addresses the three major illnesses that affect children together, rather than separately (diarrhea, malaria, and pneumonia). The symposium brings together representatives from low-income African countries, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and multilateral organizations. Its purpose is to assess the impact of iCCM programs to date, update iCCM guidelines, and identify areas where further research is required. Canada's contribution supports activities such as collecting and analyzing country-level data on health care facilities and the strength and quality of iCCM programs and producing background papers, in preparation for the symposium. The project also supports the preparation of summary documents after the symposium that capture the key findings and recommendations from the symposium.