Kailahun child survival and development project
EC partners
Plan International
UK
Kailahun District
Health
Management
Team
Pikin-to-Pikin
movement
Mother and child in Kailahun district
Source: Plan International
Facts and Figures
Country: Sierra Leone
Project reference
NSA PVD 164341
Action: Basic healthcare
Project duration
2008 - 2011
EC contribution
750,000 € and
74% of total
amount
Train Peripheral
Health Unit (PHU)
staff in early
childhood care and
development
(ECCD)
Construct and
rehabilitate PHUs
Improve health
outreach services
Increase awareness
of child health
issues and ECCD
Context:
Sierra Leone has the highest rate of under-five mortality in the world - 232
per 1,000 births. The number of women who die in childbirth is also the
highest, at 2,000 in every 100,000.
Many health workers are poorly qualified and are therefore struggling to
address major challenges like the high rate of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
Immunisation for children under one year has increased but it is still very low
in certain regions. Furthermore a third of all children suffer from stunted
growth due to poor nutrition. There is also a high prevalence of diseases like
malaria, acute respiratory infections, and diarrhoea.
Objectives:
 To contribute towards the reduction of under-five mortality within
Kailahun district
 To improve the health and cognitive, physical, mental, behavioural
and social development of children under-five years of age in
Kailahun district
 To increase access to improved early childhood care and development
services in 14 chiefdoms of Kailahun district
Expected results:
 Public health care staff in Kailahun district provide improved child
survival and early childhood care and development services
 Increased geographic coverage of public health care services in
Kailahun district
 Improved knowledge and use of early childhood care and
development practices by community groups
 Improved accountability and responsiveness of health service
providers in Kailahun district
For more information: http://www.plan-uk.org/involved/projects/sierraleonehealthcare/
MDG no. 4
Kailahun child survival and development project
New legislation provides free healthcare for young children
and mothers in Sierra Leone
Young children, their mothers, and pregnant women across Sierra Leone
are now entitled to free healthcare – a major leap forward for a country
with some of the worst child and maternal mortality rates in the world.
Plan International in Sierra Leone has been involved in advocating for free,
quality healthcare for a long time. Several years ago, in a coalition with
other non-governmental organisations Plan began pressing the Sierra
Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation for a better healthcare package.
Towards the end of April 2010, the Sierra Leonean government announced
its free healthcare policy, which covers more than 1,500,000 women and
children.
Before this legislation, women in Sierra Leone had to pay fees to give birth
in a hospital, or to see a doctor or nurse. The fees were unaffordable for
large sections of the population. Currently, one in five children die under
five, and a shocking one in seven women in Sierra Leone die in pregnancy
or childbirth.
Now, all health care, including medicines, will be available free for all
pregnant women, children aged under five and lactating mothers, at
every government hospital and clinic.
The extent of the new initiative means that the Ministry of Health and
Sanitation will need support from all government partners in the health
sector, including Plan. Plan will continue to support communities where
we have longstanding relationships where Plan will help the district health
management team with the full implementation of the free healthcare
programme. Plan’s knowledge of putting social programmes into operation
at local level will be essential to this process.
Plan Sierra Leone Country Director Fadimata Alainchar said: “We
welcome this good news. And we hope that with our support the
government’s free healthcare programme will be a long lasting reality for
the women and children of Sierra Leone.”