The Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO) is implementing the Chikankata Child Survival Project in partnership with The Salvation Army Chikankata Health Services with funding from the United States Agency for International Development.  The project will benefit 124,613 people in the Mazabuka and Siavonga districts of Zambia’s Southern Province, which is a rural area with limited infrastructure and extreme poverty.  The program goal is to reduce maternal and under-five mortality among 72,025 direct beneficiaries (4411 children under 12 months, 4411 children 12-23 months, 13,233 children 24-59 months, and 27,913 women of reproductive age).  These figures include children who will be born during the five-year project cycle.

 

The project will use innovative community-based strategies to address the factors contributing to the high maternal and under-five mortality.  Interventions include malaria (40% effort), immunization (10%), nutrition (30% effort), and maternal and newborn care (20% effort).  Key strategies will include the Care Group Model, the Hearth Nutritional Rehabilitation Model, Care and Prevention Teams, and men’s groups.  Care Groups include volunteer mothers from within the community who work with their immediate neighbors to improve household behaviors.  This model allows families to learn about healthy behaviors and discuss barriers and benefits with a trusted, respected community member and achieves 100% coverage of all households.  The Hearth Model uses local, affordable resources and positive feeding practices (behaviors and foods) from community members with well-nourished children to develop home feeding sessions in which mothers rehabilitate their malnourished children and learn to prevent future malnutrition.  Care and Prevention Teams at the community level provide leadership, model service, facilitate community action, and promote social changes to achieve better health.  The Salvation Army has used these teams in the past to change deeply ingrained cultural practices that were contributing to the spread of HIV.  Men’s groups will reach the primary decision-makers who control resources to mobilize them to contribute to better health of women and children.  The project expects to achieve the following results and intermediate results with these activities:

 

Result 1: Improved malaria prevention and treatment practices (40%)

IR 1.1:  Increased insecticide-treated net use among pregnant women and children under five

IR 1.2:  Increased appropriate care-seeking for danger signs

IR 1.3:  Continued high coverage of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnant women

 

Result 2: Increased immunization coverage in children (10%)

 

Result 3: Improved nutritional status of children and pregnant women (30%)

IR 3.1: Improved child feeding practices

IR 3.2: a) Improved detection of malnutrition b) Improved community treatment of malnutrition

IR 3.3: Increased exclusive breastfeeding up to six months of age

IR 3.4:  Increased coverage of micronutrient supplementation (Vitamin A and iron/folic acid)

 

Result 4: Improved maternal and newborn care practices (20%)

IR 4.1: Increased deliveries by trained providers, improved birth preparedness, and improved home practices related to pregnancy and birth

IR 4.2: Improved quality of maternal and newborn care in health facilities

IR 4.3: Increased coverage of postpartum care

 

If you have questions or want to support this Project, please contact SAWSO.