A Year in Myanmar - Progress
in Community-Oriented Reproductive Health Project,
"Healthy Mother Project"

The DOH/JICA/JOICFP Healthy Mother Project in Myanmar has seen major progress in three key areas over the last year.

First, the quality of reproductive health (RH) services has been improved with:

• Refresher training for auxiliary midwives (AMWs)
• Renovation of health facilities
• Supply of basic medical equipment

AMW refresher training - hand washing exercise

The renovation of Rural Health Centers has greatly contributed to the improvement of the basis for quality RH services, which shall lead to an increase in service utilization by the community.

Second, to increase community people's awareness of and knowledge about RH, a new initiative, the MCH (Maternal and Child Health) Promoter System, has been introduced in the two project townships, with a total of 1,672 voluntary women from their respective communities having been trained.

Basic Health Staff train MCH Promoters
in training-of-trainers

Serving as a link between the community people and health service providers, such as midwives, MCH Promoters have started activities right after their one-day training, identifying pregnant women and children under five years old and encouraging them to participate in antenatal care and immunizations.

Role-playing is a favorite activity in MCH Promoter training

Efforts to strengthen IEC/BCC activities have been also made. These include translation of IEC/BCC materials such as leaflets on Safe Motherhood into the local Shan language, and the production of pregnancy calendars, and handbooks and kits for MCH Promoters.

Third, capacity development of the project personnel has been carried out through advocacy meetings conducted by DOH in the project sites and counterpart training in Japan.

In addition, a community household survey, a part of the baseline survey to understand the knowledge, awareness, and practice of RH by community people, especially for safe motherhood has been completed.

The outcome has provided the baseline data for planning and future evaluation, and been shared with key stakeholders.

Disseminating the baseline survey results

Although it is too early to assess the project impact, certain achievement has been noted.

First, the impact of the project can be seen in an increase in utilization of the project trained service providers, such as increase in number of antenatal care and referrals by auxiliary midwives (AMWs) after their refresher training.

Second, the impact of the MCH Promoters can be seen in the increased utilization of health services. According to the health service statistics of the two project townships, antenatal care and TT vaccination clients have risen after MCH promoters have been introduced.

In addition, achievement in various collaboration and support from community leaders, and an increase in community participation have been seen after introduction of MCH Promoters.

Newly trained MCH Promoters,
who greatly contribute to community health

With the introduction of MCH Promoters, the project is expected to see strengthening of community support systems for RH and safe motherhood as a key priority in Japanese fiscal year 2007 (1st April, 2007 to 31st March, 2008).

On the basis of this, the project aims to strengthen antenatal care, and promote safe delivery and postnatal care, as well as to prevent unwanted pregnancies and abortions through further strengthening of midwifery and communication skills of basic health staff and community volunteers.

In the framework of the JICA's technical cooperation project in partnership with DOH, JOICFP will contribute to the project by transferring technical and management skills for the establishment of community-oriented approaches, and achievement of community mobilization.

Above all, the Healthy Mother Project will introduce good models and practices from the project areas to other areas in Myanmar.