Annual Activity Report: ONSE Health Activity Malawi PY3

The program, implemented by Management Sciences for Health (MSH), focuses on improving maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes. The program operates in 16 districts across Malawi, with a geographic coverage that includes Balaka, Chikwawa, Chitipa, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Machinga, Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Nkhatabay, Nkhotakota, Ntcheu, Salima, and Zomba. The program's strategic principles emphasize the importance of community engagement, demand creation, and health systems strengthening. Cross-cutting areas of focus include clinical services, performance of health systems strengthened, demand creation and community engagement, project management, communications, and implementation challenges and lessons learned. The program also places a strong emphasis on community mobilization and engagement, with a dedicated unit responsible for promoting community participation and ownership of health services. One of the key interventions of the program is the implementation of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in all 16 districts. The BFHI aims to promote breastfeeding and improve the overall quality of care provided to newborns and their mothers. The program has also established a network of community-based distribution agents (CBDA) to increase access to family planning and reproductive health services. Additionally, the program has implemented a comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC) program to improve the availability and quality of emergency obstetric care in the country. The program has made significant progress in improving health outcomes in Malawi. The program has also reported a significant increase in the number of women accessing family planning services, with a 38% increase in the use of modern contraceptive methods among program participants. The program has also placed a strong emphasis on community engagement and participation. The program has established a network of community health action groups (CHAG) to promote community ownership and participation in health services. The program has also implemented a community-based distribution system to increase access to family planning and reproductive health services. Additionally, the program has established a network of community-based maternal and newborn care (CBMNC) providers to improve the availability and quality of maternal and newborn care services in the country. The program has also made significant progress in improving the performance of health systems in Malawi. The program has established a network of health facility assessment teams to monitor and evaluate the quality of care provided in health facilities. The program has also implemented a comprehensive quality improvement program to improve the quality of care provided in health facilities. Additionally, the program has established a network of health systems strengthening teams to support the strengthening of health systems in the country. Overall, the ONSE Health Activity in Malawi has made significant progress in improving health outcomes and strengthening health systems in the country. The program's focus on community engagement, demand creation, and health systems strengthening has been instrumental in achieving these gains.