Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN)
Jibon O Jibika (J-O-J) Project
The Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) project activities have contributed significantly to prevent malnutrition in children under the age of two technical supported by Save the Children and financial supported by HKI. The Goal of project is ensuring to food security at household label, Health and Nutrition for Pregnant Mother and under 2 years children. MCHN impacts are measured by the changes in the percentage of underweight children under the age of two and the percentage of cases of diarrhea.
The Program team organized its MCHN activities around the Community-Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (C-IMCI) framework. Theoretically, C-IMCI is the optimization of a multi-sectoral platform for child health and nutrition that includes three linked requisite elements:
Element-1: Partnership between health facilities or services and the communities they serve.
Elements-2: Appropriate and accessible care and information from community based providers
Elements-3: Integrated promotion of key family practices critical for child health and nutrition.
The principal channel of communication is through the 126 Community Health Volunteers (CHVs). The CHVs provide information and educate pregnant women on appropriate reproductive health practices such as ANC, and danger signs during pregnancy. Pregnant women and mothers also received education on preventative practices such as optimal breastfeeding, immunization, complementary feeding, growth monitoring, and promotion, feeding timely care and treatment, and normal feeding during illness. The CHVS are extremely motivated, have become well respected members of the community and play a vital role in the MCHN program.
The J-O-J project has been very successful in developing a strong partnership with the MoHFW of Bangladesh. As a result of J-O-J’s partnership effort, satellite clinics and EPI centers now offer their services on the same day and at the same place in the majority of the respective Unions. This is where ANC check-up are performed and immunization administered. Pregnant women also received iron and vitamin C tablets during these check-ups.
During the combined services health days, CHV organized Growth Monitoring and Promotion (GMP) sessions and courtyard meeting with pregnant women and mothers. SDA implemented this component in the four Unions of Sadar Upazila under Patuakhali District.