MYANMAR RED CROSS SOCIETY
Community Based Health Development Programme focusing on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) has been implementing a community health development program
in the targeted townships of Mogok, Singu, Nyaung U, Tharzi and Sagaing, Shwebo in Mandalay and
Sagaing Regions with the support of Danish Red Cross since 2008.
Based on successful results and lesson learned from the previous project implementation, the new
community based health development programme on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health is ready to
launch with the objective of reaching 75 hard to reach rural communities in Falam, Matupi, Mogok and
Sagaing townships to improve their access to maternal, newborn and child health, hygiene and
sanitation solutions.
The long-term outcome of this programme is Improved health status of the population in Myanmar.
At first, the programme selected two townships in Northern Chin State; Hakha and Falam with the
approval of Union Minister for Health. A joint MRCS and Danish Red Cross team made the first advocacy
visit to these townships in November 2011. During the visit, the team had the rare opportunity to meet
the Chief Minister of Chin State at the State administrative office to inform him about programme
interventions and target areas selection. According to observation and consultations with other INGOs,
Hakha was not eligible as project area. Numerous INGOs’ head offices are already located there and
working for health programme and projects at the selected townships.
In December 2011, an assessment visit was conducted in 31 villages in Falam, 25 villages in Mogoke and
20 villages in Sagaing townships with the support of local administrative offices and health departments.
The assessment focused on:
1. Socio-demographic characteristics of selected townships
2. Fertility and reproductive health
3. Antenatal care
4. Birth delivery
5. Neonatal and postnatal care
6. Under 5 child health
7. Child feeding practice
8. Source of information on MNCH
9. Access to health facilities and community health services
10. Water and Sanitation
11. Hazards.
An assessment report1 indicated the selected communities were highly relevant for MNCH interventions
in those areas.
Similarly, U Sai Pe Thein, Branch Develop Coordinator from Organizational Development Division, made
branch capacity assessments in Falam, Mogoke and Sagaing. During the assessment, Chin State
administrative office recommended moving the programme to Matupi township in Southern Chin State
instead of Hakha township. The Ministry of Health gave its approval for MRCS to change the project
area to Matupi township.
Advocacy to Sagaing and Mandalay regional government’s social affair ministers was done respectively
in December 2011.
With the aim of having programme framework contributed by key stakeholders, a three-day MNCH
programme development workshop was conducted in January 2012 at the Panda Hotel in Yangon. Chin
state and Sagaing regional health directors and a regional health officer from Mandalay participated in
the workshop with township medical officers, representatives from township administrative offices, G1
from Chin state, Mandalay and Sagaing Regions, representatives from township red cross, and
community representatives. About 40 participants attended the workshop. The workshop was chaired
by Dr Hla Pe, Honorary Secretary of MRCS and facilitated by Dr Mark Shepherd, consultant, and Ms Jytte
Roswall, International Health advisor from Danish Red Cross. Mr Gregory Rose, Health Advisor EURASIA,
from British Red Cross also presented as an observer.
After the workshop, the team produced a draft programme framework. A community based approach
for delivering key interventions, building on existing structures and national strategies focus on behavior
change, and connection to and coordination with the existing public health system forms the basis the
programme’s sustainability strategy. Key programme components/interventions are based on a concept
of “continuum of care” and include: a) improving practices of and access to reproductive health,
antenatal care, delivery, postnatal and newborn care; b) enhancing community resilience to most
common communicable disease; c) enhancing access of communities to improved water solutions and
hygiene and sanitation practices and; d) strengthening capacity of Myanmar Red Cross Society in
community-based health development.
At the end of February 2012, MRCS and DRC made a second advocacy visit to Matupi townships. Several
consultation meetings with several stakeholders were held, though an assessment was not done in
Matupi township. Based on such as village selection criteria2 such as accessibility to local community
health center, health staff availability in the village, MNCH need in the village; the programme selected
75 project target communities according to village selection result3; 18 communities in Falam township,
1
Main findings, Initial assessment for formulation of Community Based Health Development Programme focused
on maternal, newborn and child health in Chin State and Sagaing and Mandalay Regions
2
Villages selection criteria list
3
Village selection analysis result
20 communities in Mogok township, 17 communities in Sagaing and 20 communities in Matupi township
for relevant community based health interventions.
Township
Total township
population
Assessment conducted
Selected
communities/population communities/total
population
Falam
Sagaing
Mogoke
Matupi*
65,660 (2011)
304,195 (2010)
216,158 (2010)
51,975 (2011)
31 (9,617)
20 (12,793)
25 (8,962)
-
18 (4,789)
17 (12,245)
20 (4,944)
20 (6,445)
Coverage of the
programme on
the whole
township
population
7%
4%
2%
12%
* No assessment was done yet. It is plan to conduct detail assessment in Matupi before baseline study in
November 2012.
Danish Red Cross and British Red Cross will contribute the programme in terms of financial and technical
support.
The estimated time for inception phase of programme is to be launched at 2012 July after programme
document is endorsed by Ministry of Health.
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