MaMoni Health Systems Strengthening Activity, Bangladesh: Year One Workplan Narrative

The project is an Associate Award under the Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP) and is implemented in seven districts, including Habiganj, Noakhali, Lakhsmipur, Bhola, Pirozepur, Jhalokathi, and Brahmanbaria. Sylhet district receives support during the first year for targeted newborn care interventions, and implementation in Brahmanbaria district is planned to start in the second year. The project focuses on strengthening the systems and standards for maternal, newborn, and child health, family planning, and nutrition, which will result in further declines in maternal, newborn, and child mortality. The project is implemented by a consortium of partners, including Jhpiego, Save the Children, John Snow, Inc., and Johns Hopkins University, in partnership with national organizations, icddr,b, Dnet, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. The project supports the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to strengthen health systems in the target districts. Implementation in Habiganj, Noakhali, and Lakhsmipur districts has received substantial support under the previous efforts of MCHIP, which will continue under the MaMoni HSS project. The project aims to improve service readiness through critical gap management, strengthen health systems at the district level and below, promote an enabling environment to strengthen district-level health systems, and identify and reduce barriers to health service accessibility. The project has several key components, including the MaMoni – Integrated Safe Motherhood, Newborn Care and Family Planning Project, which received a three-month no-cost extension to maintain gains and complete activities previously initiated in Sylhet and Habiganj districts. The project also supports the implementation of mobile phone-based communication of maternal and newborn health messages through the Aponjon activities of MAMA, which will fully transition into the MaMoni HSS project at the end of the third quarter. Additionally, the project continues to train public and private sector providers in Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) and carries out system modifications and HBB surveillance, which will transition into the MaMoni HSS project in March 2014. The project has achieved several key results during the first quarter, including the completion of a three-month no-cost extension for the MaMoni – Integrated Safe Motherhood, Newborn Care and Family Planning Project, the continuation of Aponjon activities of MAMA, and the completion of HBB scale-up activities in Noakhali and Lakhsmipur districts. The project has also made significant progress in preparing for the transition to the MaMoni HSS project, including the preparation of district health systems strengthening activities in Noakhali and Lakhsmipur districts. The project's geographic focus is on seven districts in Bangladesh, including Habiganj, Noakhali, Lakhsmipur, Bhola, Pirozepur, Jhalokathi, and Brahmanbaria. The project aims to improve the health outcomes of women and children in these districts by strengthening the health systems and promoting an enabling environment for health service delivery. The project's implementation is supported by a group of local nongovernmental organizations that are strategically placed in local communities and serve as channels for scale-up and sustainability. The project's implementation is supported by a consortium of partners, including Jhpiego, Save the Children, John Snow, Inc., and Johns Hopkins University, in partnership with national organizations, icddr,b, Dnet, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. The project's implementation is also supported by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which provides strategic guidance and oversight to the project. The project's implementation is expected to continue for four years, from September 24, 2013 to September 23, 2017.