Improving Maternal and Child Health in Madagascar

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Project Votsira continues to make meaningful progress in improving the health and wellbeing of mothers and children in southeast Madagascar. The project focuses on strengthening knowledge within communities and supporting healthcare providers to deliver essential maternal and child health (MCH) education and services.

In many communities, misinformation around maternal and child health contributes to preventable illness and poor outcomes. Project Votsira addresses this by providing accurate, practical information to caregivers, helping them make informed decisions for their families.

We are pleased to share that the project recently completed its third round of MCH education sessions, reaching a total of 1,260 caregivers. These sessions covered vital topics such as breastfeeding practices, the importance of antenatal care, childhood vaccinations, and the causes, symptoms, and prevention of common childhood illnesses. By improving understanding in these areas, caregivers are better equipped to protect the health of their children.

In addition to community education, the project continues to strengthen collaboration across the health sector. A recent roundtable meeting brought together key maternal and child health stakeholders in the Anosy region, including community health workers, local health centre staff, and partner organisations. This forum provided an opportunity to share lessons learned from the first year of the project and openly discuss implementation challenges.

The insights gathered during these discussions are already shaping the next phase of Project Votsira, ensuring that the programme continues to respond effectively to local needs.

This progress would not be possible without your support. Your contributions are helping to improve access to life-saving knowledge and services, and to build healthier futures for families across the Anosy region.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

We continue to make meaningful progress with Project Votsira in strengthening maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes across our targeted communities. The project has reached 1,200 community members through a combination of 420 MCH group sessions and 6,300 household visits, allowing for consistent monitoring, counselling, and personalized support for mothers and caregivers. In August, we held capacity building efforts through the training of 28 community health workers and 14 CSB staff. This training focused on essential MCH competencies, including breastfeeding best practices, safeguarding principles, and patient-centred care. These sessions aimed to improve both the quality of service delivery and community trust in local health structures.

Recruitment for the next sessions round is currently underway, accompanied by baseline surveys to evaluate participant needs and initial knowledge levels. Our planned Roundtable and Community Feedback Meetings were, however, rescheduled for late October. Furthermore, the results of our Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) from the previous program round showed significant improvements as there was an increase of 21% in participant knowledge, reflecting an effective session and high community engagement. In addition to this, 1,315 children were vaccinated, 90% of deliveries were attended by skilled professionals, and 95% of mothers completed the minimum recommended number of antenatal visits.

We are very grateful for all of the activities achieved that contributed to these remarkable milestones. We wouldn’t have reached them without your unwavering support. We want to thank you for your trust and continued contribution to the work we do at SEED.