CARE Tanzania’s Community Based Reproductive Health Project (CBRHP) is designed to improve the health of mothers and children in the two intervention districts of Kwimba and Missungwi by decreasing maternal mortality. Interventions focus on reproductive health issues including family planning, care of women before, during and after pregnancy, and treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. The CBRHP relies on the work of Village Health Workers (VHW) to incorporate project activities at the community level. The CBRHP is working with VHW’s on two primary objectives: 1) development of community-based plans for emergency transportation, and 2) scheme to provide VHW’s with supervision and incentives. A companion project focus on improving quality of maternal care provided at the health facility and the VHWs are the links between the community and health facilities.
Assessment of community mobilization activities indicates that the majority 42/52 (81%) of the villages had developed plans to transport mothers with obstetrical problems and other medical emergencies to health facilities; of these 22 (52%) had action plans for emergency transport, eight (19%) have a functional system for transporting a woman, and 12 (29%) communities have contributed money to a special fund to be used for transport. Communities with strong leadership, those located far away from facilities, and communities with a history of planning and organizing, were more likely to have a transportation plan in place. Lessons learned from the efforts of CBRHP, benefits, and constraints of using community mobilization approach in promoting maternal health as a community issue will be discussed.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants will: 1) become familiar with the community mobilization approach and it’s use in promoting maternal health; 2) learn about selecting indicators to assess the progress made in mobilizing the community; and 3) identify facilitators and enabling factors to community mobilization in a specific setting
Keywords: Community Response, Maternal Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.