USAID Integrated Health Services Activity in Benin: Program Year 2, Quarter 3 Progress Report

The project aims to strengthen the delivery of high-impact malaria, family planning (FP), maternal and child health (MCH), and gender-based violence (GBV) services in the public sector in four departments in Benin. The project's intermediate results include increasing the quality of high-impact services, increasing the uptake of high-impact health services, strengthening local leadership and management, and supporting central government planning and coordination. The project is implemented in the departments of Alibori, Atacora, Ouémé, and Plateau, which have a population of 3,362,501, representing 34% of the total population of Benin. The project collaborates closely with the Benin Ministry of Health (MOH) at the central, departmental, and health zone levels, as well as with local leaders, civil society organizations, and community-based organizations. Key achievements in the second quarter of the second program year include initiating preparations for the 2020 seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) campaign, conducting on-site formative supervision of 257 health workers, identifying and compiling the needs of GBV victims for reintegration into the workforce, and developing collaboration agreements between the Direction Départementale de la Santé (DDS) of Atacora and Alibori and community radio stations. The project also developed health promotion messages for broadcast by local radio stations in health zones in the departments of Atacora and Alibori, and trained four women groups supported by the project in health promotion and awareness-raising activities. Additionally, the project conducted on-site training and supportive supervision (OTSS) visits to 50 health facilities in the departments of Ouémé, Plateau, and Atacora, and established 40 new Equipes d'Amélioration de la Qualité (EAQ) in these departments. The project's implementation is guided by the principles of USAID Benin's strategic framework, which seeks to strengthen health systems, improve service delivery quality, transform gender relations, increase demand for high-impact services, and reduce barriers to improved health and health-seeking behaviors. The project's activities are designed to achieve the intermediate results of increasing the quality of high-impact services, increasing the uptake of high-impact health services, strengthening local leadership and management, and supporting central government planning and coordination. The project's geographic focus is on the four departments of Alibori, Atacora, Ouémé, and Plateau, which have a population of 3,362,501, representing 34% of the total population of Benin. The project's timeframes are from July 1, 2018, to July 30, 2023, with a focus on the second quarter of the second program year (April 1-June 30, 2020). The project's recommendations include continuing to strengthen the delivery of high-impact malaria, FP, MCH, and GBV services in the public sector in the four departments, and supporting central government planning and coordination. The project also recommends continuing to collaborate closely with the MOH, local leaders, civil society organizations, and community-based organizations to ensure effective implementation of activities.