MOMENTUM: A New Approach to Supporting Countries in Accelerating Progress on the Health and Well-being of Women and Children. 2021 Progress Report

Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2020. The program aims to accelerate progress in maternal, newborn, and child health services, as well as voluntary family planning and reproductive health care. MOMENTUM works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to improve access to quality health care for vulnerable populations. The program is designed to build on decades of USAID's global health programs and investments, targeting specific needs that inhibit achieving the best possible outcomes for all women, children, and families. These needs include reaching populations in fragile settings, addressing entrenched obstacles to achieving routine immunization goals and access to quality surgical maternal and reproductive health care, expanding partnerships with the private health care sector, and helping partner countries develop the leadership and technical capacity needed to address existing health challenges. MOMENTUM supports the Biden Administration's global health agenda, including responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing health inequities exacerbated by climate change, increasing gender equality, and advancing equitable access to quality, affordable health care in partner countries. The program builds on the strengths of its various awards and previous USAID investments to accelerate the achievement of USAID's global health goals to prevent maternal and child death, control the HIV epidemic, and combat infectious disease. MOMENTUM's vision is to create a world where all mothers, children, families, and communities have equitable access to respectful quality maternal, newborn, and child health services, voluntary family planning, and reproductive health care. The program works alongside governments, local and international private and civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to accelerate improvements in maternal, newborn, and child health services. MOMENTUM has six awards, each focusing on a specific area: Integrated Health Resilience, Knowledge Accelerator, Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics, Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity, Country and Global Leadership, and Private Healthcare Delivery. These awards provide USAID Missions with unique access to specialized technical and regional expertise to address challenges facing maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition, family planning, and reproductive health care in varied contexts. MOMENTUM works in countries facing some of the highest rates of maternal and child mortality, including those with fragile settings and other vulnerable populations. The program has pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting its activities to address the challenges posed by the pandemic. Despite the challenges, MOMENTUM has begun to build partnerships and lay the foundation for lasting impact, with a focus on improving access to quality health care for vulnerable populations.