Cooperative agreement no. PDC-0516-A-00-6138-00 to CARE

In Mali, CARE will implement CS activities in 163 villages in the arrondissements of Kolongo, Macina, and Sarro to the benefit of 21,000 children and 16,506 women of childbearing age. Key objectives include the immunization of 80% of the children (especially those under age 3) and 90% of the women and to ensure that 80% of the women know about ORT and use it correctly. In addition, CARE will select 50 villages to participate in intensive PHC activities emphasizing nutrition education, hygiene, aseptic deliveries by midwives, and other topics identified by the villagers themselves. To help make these services sustainable, CARE will train 15 local women as village-level health workers and develop community health associations. Two ongoing CARE projects - Agricultural Development for Drought Zones and Macina Wells - will support this project. In Sudan, CARE will implement activities through the existing government PHC system in 8 administrative areas in the 3 outlying districts of Northern Kordofan - Bara, Saderi, and En Nahoud. CS services will be provided to 126,000 children and 140,000 women of childbearing age, with priority emphasis on the 31,000 children under one. Specific objectives are to attain 70% full vaccination of children under age one and 70% coverage with tetanus toxoid of all new mothers; raise maternal awareness of the value of vaccination to 90%; reinforce the training of all health care workers in case management of diarrheal disease; develop community-based health services through outreach, possibly using lay midwives and female volunteers; increase the ORT access rate to 60% and the ORT use rate to 50%; and establish ORT training and service centers in 3 district hospitals. CARE will also help the Ministry of Health (MOH) strengthen its delivery capacities by: assisting with the establishment of district-based cold chains, community-based ORT delivery, and regular transportation systems for staff and supplies; supporting district vaccination/ORT program management and MOH training programs; and encouraging community participation in outreach and health education activities and the development of cost-recovery mechanisms. The grant will also fund training, a health communications specialist, and reporting and evaluation workshops for CARE headquarters.