Better life Project for women of child bearing age

The complex humanitarian crisis in Northern Nigeria which started way back in 2009 remains one of the most severe in the world with an increasing number of people in need of urgent Medical assistance. In 2020, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated the vulnerabilities of people already affected by Farmer/herder clashes, banditry, kidnappings and insurgency. According to the UNOCHA Situation Report of September 2020, the number of people urgently in need of assistance rose from 7.9 million at the beginning of 2020 to 10.6 million since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Nigeria, the eighth most populous country in the world and the First in Africa with over 200 million population, accounts for 20% of all global maternal deaths with a daunting maternal mortality ratio of 800 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Northern Nigeria has become a hub of joblessness, illiteracy, early/child marriage, maternal mortality and terrorism leading to limited access to quality healthcare delivery (Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, 2021). 

SMaNCH FOUNDATION proposed geographic focus area is Hawul LGA. Hawul is a Local Government Area of Borno State with headquarter in Azare Nigeria. The women in this LGA are predominately peasant farmers with only small percentage engaged in petti trading. The most vulnerable group are the women and children. Their meagre income can’t afford quality healthcare services. Furthermore, almost all the villages in the local area have poor access to road network which prevent them from reaching health facilities in real time. This give raise to high maternal newborn morbidity and mortality rate among women of child bearing age.
For now there is no presence of Non-governmental organizations that are providing maternal, newborn and child healthcare service in Bilatum village except SMaNCH Foundation. And measures being taken by government are far  from meeting the people’s needs with facilities understaffed, lack of essential drugs and distances from villages and poor access to road network prevent most of pregnant and lactating women and girls from accessing reproductive health services . The private Healthcare providers and mainly located in towns and are out of the reach of the poor.  

SMaNCH FOUNDATION has analyzed and profiled the nature of the general challenges confronting maternal newborn and child healthcare to rural areas and has come up with solutions that would mitigate and provide immediate and long-term intervention:

Acquire vehicles that are built to maneuver the terrains
Recruiting and training of skilled personnel (Obstetrics and Gynecology consultant, Nurses and Midwives, Community Health Extension workers etc) to strengthen system for safer child birth.
Enhance remuneration and incentives to motivate skilled personnel to be dedicated and committed to the needed services
Create many centers in collaboration with Primary Healthcare Facilities by equipping the centers (skilled staffs, provision of clean delivery kits, Antenatal, labour and postnatal/Family planning facilities) for easy access to quality healthcare services to villagers in close proximity to each centers.  
4. From the above mentioned solutions, SMaNCH FOUNDATION if offered support would effectively compliment efforts already being provided by public health sectors in the following ways:
Stop home deliveries
Achieve 70% -to-80% antenatal and postnatal care
Access to health facilities will be closer to villages targeted thereby reducing maternal newborn morbidity and mortality rate in the region
Promote family planning awareness and services
Promote exclusive breastfeeding by creating mother-to-mother support group through Infant and Young Child feeding (IYCF) program
In partnership with the MERCH for mothers, SMANCH FOUNDATION will engage both public and private health sectors to generate synergy and collaborate effectively through leverages to make access to antenatal, safer childbirth, postnatal care and family planning services. Smanch will fill the gap by providing free healthcare services, reaching hard-to-reach areas through means of transportation.
Smanch foundation will leverage by engaging experienced and skilled manpower (Nurses and Midwives, Obstetric and gynecology Doct

Our target populations are pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, newborns and children under the age of 5 years old. Elderly people inclusive as well as people living with disabilities, people living with HIV/AIDs in hard-to-reach areas or Internally displaced persons (IDPs)

Our team are made up of Skilled manpower such as Obstetrician and Gynecologists, Nurses and Midwives, laboratory technicians, Community Health Extension worker (CHEWs). We operate based on the Humanitarian guilding principal of humanity, neutrality, Impartiality and Independency.

 Our team are from different multicultural backgrounds working towards achieving SMaNCH Foundation aim and objectives that promote awareness, access and availability of skilled birth attendants, support and promote evidence-based, respectful maternity care to rural women of child-bearing

It is essential to acquire MIT Solve training and leadership skills to be able to equip staff with the needed skills to achieve and sustain transformation impact at all level. As a founder and Executive Director of SMaNCH Foundation, a Non-profit making organization based in Nigeria with the aim to create awareness, access and availability of skilled birth attendants, support and promote evidence-based, respectful maternity care , Integrating WASH  and Empowerment program into MNCH delivery to rural women of child-bearing age.  If offered opportunity, I will help build social behavioral change communication (SBCC) among women that will be inspired and make a difference towards achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals.
 Smanch foundation is already implementing MNCH services I Hawul LGA Nigeria, about 70% of pregnant women in rural communities face issues in accessing maternal health services, while many women have to walk up to 9km to a clinic, leading to birthing complications and maternal deaths. Also, imagine having to wait for a bus whilst in an emergency situation, fearful that you may give birth right there on the side of the road? I believe I can do more through networking, learning new leadership skills from MIT solve for effective implementation.

SMaNCH Foundation is already using an existing WhatsApp platform to Strengthen prenatal care across Hawul local  Government area of Borno State Nigeria.

This platform helps to reach more pregnant women, promote accessible, high-quality care to pregnant women across the region. 

Prenatal care is essential for safeguarding the health of pregnant women and their unborn infants. Through this way of preventive health care, women will learn from skilled health personnel concerning healthy behaviors during pregnancy as well the use of drugs, importance of tetanus toxoid injections and exclusive breastfeeding, danger signs in pregnancy, preterm labour, premature raptures of membrane, complication of unsafe abortions and other obstetric emergency complications etc.

SMaNCH Foundation intend to expand this innovative healthcare services across the Nigeria by enrolling new Pregnant women and existing them 6 weeks after child birth. 

The WhatsApp platform promote the use of information and technology in support of health and health-related fields.This program has empowered pregnant women to manage their own health care journeys. It also drive general changes through reasonable, wide-reaching services that scale back the strain on health care professionals in low resource settings.

Finally, we would like to reach at least 5000 Women of child bearing age through this innovative healthcare delivery as well as using weekly whatsApp grouping for health education, scheduling monthly visit etc.

Output 1.1: 54,600 of women of reproductive age between 15-59 and children between the ages of 6-59 months in Hawul LGA provided with essential drugs and BEmONC care. Means of verification include daily consultation Compilation, Monthly Narrative and quarterly report.

Output 1.2: Community members supported with social community-based intervention will provide data of number of households with improved hygiene and health-seeking behavior practices (e.g. through Monthly narrative report)
Output1.3: Training of Health supported staff and community volunteer to provide data on numbers of health beneficiaries through attendance sheets.
Output 1.4: Mother to mother support group meetings evidenced by Number of support group meetings held by attendant sheet.
Output 1.5: As part of our effort in ensuring that the planned objectives of this intervention are achieved, we will routinely monitor and collect data during the implementation of this project. The M&E officer will work with the program staff to ensure that adequate information is timely collected to monitor the project’s performance for our internal analysis and for learning purposes. 

Nigeria has the largest number of maternal deaths globally, accounting for over 20% of all maternal deaths annually. In 2017 alone, 67,000 Nigerian women died from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, devastating families and communities and resulting in an estimated USD$1.5 billion in lost  

Now, SMaNCH Foundation erck has taken a comprehensive approach to help tackle the large burden of maternal deaths in Nigeria by supporting programs to provide women access to two of the most powerful ways to prevent these tragedies: quality maternity care services and modern contraception. We Collaborate with both public and private health sectors so that any woman in the country can receive quality maternity care wherever and whenever she seeks care. Our efforts incorporate core principles that are true to our values: taking women-centered approaches, expanding access to quality care using the power of digital technologies, integrating the community to drive solutions and unlocking innovative financing   mechanisms for long-term sustainability. Importantly, we cannot do this important work alone. SMaNCH Foundation believes that strong, multisector partnerships can help achieve the Government of Nigeria’s Maternal health care

Currently we are already using an existing WhatsApp platform to Strengthen prenatal and Safer child birth by creating awareness, Provision of Skilled Birth Attendants throughout pregnancy journey and postpartum period including access to contraceptives

 promoting cultural diversity in the workplace and improving  employees’ cultural literacy skills is paramount at SMaNCH Foundation. This is particularly important in today’s multicultural environment. It can help prevent cultural conflicts and allow your employees to better deal with foreign customers and colleagues.

If your employees have the training, skills, and knowledge to work effectively with a diverse group of people, you’ll also be able to open more doors for your business. Therefore, SMaNCH Foundation can promote cultural literacy and diversity by ensuring: 

Get training for global citizenship

Bridge the culture gap with good communication skills

Practice good manners

Celebrate traditional holidays, festivals, and food

Observe and listen to foreign customers and colleagues.

Equal employment opportunity for all citizens including people living with disabilities etc

SHIKTRA MATERNAL, NEWBORN AND CHILD HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION (SMaNCH Foundation) we are Non -profit Making Organization base in Nigeria with the aim to Improve and provide free maternal newborn, and child Health service  in rural and hard to reach communities across Nigeria.

Services we provide

1. Maternal Health

2. Newborn Health

3. Child Health

4. Nutrition

5. Reproductive Health ( Family planning services)

6. Social Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC)

7. Integrating WASH and Empowerment program into MNCH services

Our Goal
To ensure that women of child bearing age, newborns and children remain healthy by providing quality Healthcare services.

MISSION
Our focus is maternal, Newborn and child health promotion. Our mission is to promote awareness, access and availability of skilled birth attendants’ support and promote evidence-based, respectful maternity care to rural women of child-bearing age.

VISION
Our vision is to promote awareness, access and provide evidence- based child Health, respectful maternity care among rural women of child bearing age

SMaNCH Foundation will continue to seek and raise funds through personal, individual donors, corporations and crowd -funding etc

We have received grant from American women of International Understanding (AWIU). Currently we are on crowdfunding platform for financial sustainability. For more information visit:

https://www.airfunding.net/pro...