HealthBridge Foundation of Canada

Published purpose

This project improves the health of mothers and children in the Pakur district of Jharkhand state in India by improving access to and use of maternal, newborn and child health services. Working with local and state governments, the project is designed to enhance services delivered by the Health and Family Welfare Department and the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Project activities include: (i) training community health workers and families in antenatal, postnatal and newborn care, nutrition, and safe pregnancy and delivery practices; (ii) promoting immunization and raising awareness of how to prevent and treat malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhea; and (iii) promoting shared decision-making on maternal, newborn and child health at the household level. The project expects to reach over 1,100 health workers and 600 village health and sanitation committees, as well as over 280,000 women of reproductive age and their husbands and more than 56,000 pregnant women. HealthBridge Foundation of Canada is working in partnership with the Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief to implement this project. This project is part of Canada's Maternal, Newborn and Child Health commitment. The maximum CIDA contribution to this project includes $10,000 for monitoring purposes.