Our approach
We approach community engagement in two ways – Village Health Committees (VHC) for health education and household livelihood strengthening and Community Health Workers. The VHC is a community monitoring system that generates data on the maternal and child health activities and changes in the community.
We connect communities to health facilities to improve emergency care. We establish a two-way facility-community referral system ensuring that clients have access to and receive needed clinical health services as well as follow-up support for health and other urgent wrap around care and support.
We support continuous training of healthcare professionals to provide quality medical care. Ensuring health centres are suitably equipped to provide safe deliveries, individualized quality medical care and improving referral systems between health centres and hospitals.
Applying the Three Delays Model
Transforming maternal and child health care delivery to reach every woman and newborn
We respond to the “Three Delays” that contribute to preventable deaths. Our Proactive Doorstep Care combines medical care with family development and community engagement.
Through home visits, we identify and address the root causes of poor maternal and child health outcomes. The dedicated Community Health Workers and Nurses on Bikes engage in a holistic initiative that supports ultra poor households to achieve continued social stability for better maternal and child health outcomes.
We address the root causes of poor maternal and child health outcomes and not just treating the symptoms. We feel confident that we would be able to sustain our operations while working towards our scale plans in the next 7 years (2024 - 2030).
Delay 1: decision to seek care.
Community engagement through CHWs
We provide communities (men and women) with information on pregnancy, childbirth and newborn health care so they know when to seek medical help.
We facilitate income generation activities for women to enable them to become financially independent and empowered to make decisions about their own sexual and reproductive health and to become co-managers in their care process.
Delay 2: reaching care.
Strengthening referral systems through transportation
We improve access to healthcare with the provision of Nurses on Bikes (NoBs) in remote areas as well as mobile clinics to provide care.
We support waiting houses next to health centres for expectant mothers to stay in before their due date so when they go into labour assistance is on site.
We provide village ambulance services for emergency transportation of pregnant women to improve access to Health Centres.
Delay 3: receiving adequate health care.
Building clinical capacity of primary level health facilities
We support continuous personal development for midwives, nurses and clinicians.
Ensure health centres are suitably equipped to provide safe deliveries (sufficient medical supplies, equipment, medications) and Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care.
We improve referral capacity to support transfers to higher-level care (24/7 availability of ambulances).
Our Golden Rule
Every woman in Malawi should be able to reach a primary level health facility in times of emergency within 60 minutes.