MCSP Egypt Quarterly Report

The report is submitted by Dr. Ali Abdelmegeid, the Country Representative of Save the Children, and is produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The program, MCSP Egypt, is a cooperative agreement between USAID and Save the Children, with Jhpiego as the prime implementing partner. The program aims to improve the health and well-being of mothers and children in Egypt, with a focus on reducing maternal and child mortality rates. The program's geographic coverage includes 18 governorates in Egypt, with a focus on training and capacity building in these areas. One of the key highlights of the quarter is the launch of the new national-level Raedat Refiat (RR) strategy, which was officially launched on December 27, 2017, by the Honorable Minister of Health and Population, Dr. Ahmed Emad Eddin Radi. The strategy was developed in collaboration with MCSP and the Ministry of Health and Population, and aims to improve the health and well-being of mothers and children in Egypt. The RR training curriculum was also revised to reflect feedback from the Ministry of Health and Population and from the pilot training for RR supervisors in Luxor and Ismailia. The curriculum will soon be translated into English and shared with MCSP HQ for feedback and final revisions. Training of RR supervisors began in November, with 21 rounds of training conducted in Upper Egypt, reaching a total of 427 RR supervisors, and 22 rounds completed in Lower Egypt, training 455 RR supervisors. The remaining scheduled trainings are expected to be completed in January 2018. The program also made progress in recruitment, with two technical consultants hired in October to support digital health work and documentation and dissemination. Several staff changes occurred during the quarter, including the hiring of an admin and finance assistant and two project coordinators. The program's objective is to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and Population to develop a national strategy for Egypt's Community Health Workers that reflects the MoHP's Family Health Package and will support the MoHP in reaching SDG targets. The program's activities include supporting strategy development, reviewing and finalizing the CHW strategy, endorsing and disseminating the new strategy, and processing documentation and dissemination. The strategy includes updated job descriptions for the RRs that better reflect the needs of the community, further specify the roles of RRs, and clarify the hierarchy structure. The strategy is now ready to be implemented by the MoHP, and MCSP will support MoHP to develop a plan to align the RR targets with the overall country targets towards the SDGs. The report also highlights the program's achievements, including the launch of the new national-level RR strategy, the revision of the RR training curriculum, and the training of RR supervisors. The program's progress is expected to continue in the next quarter, with a focus on implementing the new strategy and supporting the MoHP in reaching SDG targets.