Halcrow Foundation is helping to launch a major new project that improves maternity care for villagers in Nepal.
The five-year project with Karuna Trust will ensure 300 vulnerable women and 1,000 children annually can access safe maternal, neonatal and child healthcare. An estimated 21,000 community members are also expected to indirectly benefit from improved services.
Marginalised women
The project benefits women and children from villages in Sudurpaschim Province in the country’s remote western region. These women are marginalised by geography, wealth and education, and therefore less likely to access maternal healthcare. Implemented by non-governmental organisation Green Tara Nepal, the project involves refurbishing two birthing centres so they meet government standards. This will provide a safe and hygienic space that is fully supplied with equipment and medicines. Health workers will also receive refresher training on equipment use and safe birthing.
Volunteer network
A network of female community health volunteers will be formed to share good practice and plan how to deliver services more effectively. They will also raise awareness among men and women of the benefits of accessing professional maternal healthcare. Within the first two years, the project aims to increase the number of women who receive basic laboratory and ultrasound services at least once in their pregnancy, and empower them to make their own decisions about using birthing centre facilities.
To ensure the project’s goals are sustained beyond five years, Green Tara Nepal, supported by Karuna Trust, will work with rural municipalities to ensure health budgets are managed to meet women’s needs over the long term.
Saving lives
In Nepal, many women lack access to maternal healthcare due to social, economic and political barriers. This is especially true in the country’s remote western region where there is a lack of safe and hygienic spaces for birthing, antenatal care, postnatal care, child monitoring and the storage of medical supplies. Without access to essential laboratory and radiological services, mothers are unable to be tested for simple procedures like blood tests and ultrasound that prevent health issues and save lives. Limited awareness of these services also mean women are less likely to take them up, leading to additional health problems. Other challenges to maternal healthcare in remote regions include training health workers and the repair and maintenance of medical equipment.
You can read more about this project here.
Photo credit: Karuna Trust
