With a focus on empowering women and children, Humana People to People India has now expanded its ICDS-oriented interventions in Maharashtra. The organization is implementing the ‘Strengthening community-based healthcare services for underprivileged mothers and babies’ Project in nine villages of Aurangabad district which has an Infant Mortality Rate of 28 and an Under-5 Mortality Rate of 36, which is higher than the state average.

The Project, which began in April 2021, will focus on nine villages falling under three Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in the areas of Jikthan, Shendurwada, and Daulatabad in Aurangabad district with a goal to improve the maternal and child health indicators. It aims at building the capacity of Government Community Health Workers (CHWs) – Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANM) & Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA). The Project will also focus on the capacity building of the Anganwadi Staffs in their day-to-day work on increasing accessibility, awareness of their community and quality enhancement of Maternal and Child health care service delivery.

The project will engage professional resources and introduce digital tools (tablets and digital content) for enhancing the capacity of Community Health Workers/Frontline Workers in delivering their duties with quality and overcoming operational challenges in the areas of Maternal Neonatal Child Health and Nutrition. It will also enhance coordination among the existing public (Health and Women & Child Development Department) and private health facilities to optimise emergency care and referral for the women and children from the operational area. With the sustainable skills, technical knowledge and competency developed in the 2-3 years of mentoring, the CHWs will be in a better position to participate, bridge gaps in the service delivery, overcome the operational challenge and contribute to improving the institutional birth, complete ANC/PNC and child immunisation figures in the selected geography.