Reaching the Unreached in Underserved Communities with Health Services, Resources, and Information
CSI in sub-Saharan Africa
Childbirth Survival International founders - Stella Mpanda, CNM and Tausi Suedi, MPH, two African women leaders in international health and development are strong drivers for home-grown solutions, local leaders taking charge and rallying other leaders and citizens, plus communities to have autonomy and become self-reliant and sufficient in implementing grassroots activities and programs. With this firm belief to strengthen in-country efforts, accelerate multi-sector capacities, increase employment opportunities for locals, and integrate a cultural sensitivity lens across interventions, CSI does not have expatriates. The vision is to advance development of communities by their participation, involvement, and engagement at various levels to increase access to health services, economic opportunities, information and reduce disparities especially in underserved rural and urban communities.
We can all agree that pregnancy is not an illness or disease, yet every single day and for so long hundreds and thousands of women and newborns die. To put it in perspective, every day, the World Health Organization reports 800 women die due to preventable pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum complications. Of the 800 maternal deaths, at least 500 occur in sub-Saharan Africa particularly in adolescent girls 15-19 years old.
Maternal newborn health in low-resource settings is a good indicator of a country's priorities for women and children. Preventable pregnancy and childbirth related complications continue to cause disability and death especially in the developing world, leaving mothers in grief, newborns without mothers, families and communities devastated. CSI is approaching the challenges holistically and engaging with multiple stakeholders to ensure mothers, newborns, and children survive and thrive.
Midwives are central to end preventable maternal newborn mortality and morbidity. Many marginalized communities, depend and trust their local midwives to provide them with the services and information they need. Often, midwives in health facilities work with limited resources and support from the network, which has attributed to some of the challenges and issues such as mistreatment of pregnant women and preventable deaths. Midwives need to be supported and recognized for their efforts in saving lives at birth. Skilled midwives should be empowered to provide services such as cervical and breast cancer screening to reduce major complications as a result of delayed care.
Adolescents/Youth lack access to youth-friendly non-discriminatory sexual and reproductive health services and information and have limited access to opportunities to strengthen their life-skills to advance and live economically productive lives. Orphans, vulnerable children, and the girl-child in many developing countries are distanced from opportunities such as education, access to health services, adequate nutrition, vocational training, among others. CSI is breaking down those walls through advocacy, steering conversation, and implementing programs to transform lives of individuals and communities.
Today's research shows investing in communities without the community being at the table is not the best approach to solving the community's problems. At CSI, the leaders understand this concept all too well and have deepened relationships with community members to foster dialogue, assess needs, and ensure sustainability of effective grassroots programs. This approach involves engaging men in leadership and from the community to be active participants and champions for behavior and social change.
CSI in USA: Baltimore, Maryland
CSI Baltimore programs are intentional to impact lives of families, children, and adolescent girls. For instance, in collaboration with local partners, CSI Baltimore has supported homeless children 0-5 years acquire strong literacy skills to succeed in school and beyond, so every child can say "I Can Read, I Can Write". In the city, adolescent girls, 12-16 years have benefited from CSI's global program, #GirlTalkGirlPower, which has proven to reduce teenage pregnancies, empower the girl child, and create safe and structured learning environments for girls. CSI's Healthy & Thriving Families program supports families to learn about the different services and programs in their communities, connect them to implementing partners so that they can benefit from community-based services. CSI Baltimore is preparing to officially launch its breastfeeding program, Baltimore Babies Breastfeeding program (B3P) to improve maternal-infant health in Baltimore City. Read more about CSI Baltimore.
