Women & Child Health Support in Awash Ethiopia

It is common that Pastoralist women of Afar very often prefer to deliver a child with the support of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) even in places where there is access of health facilities and delivery services. Valuing the significant role of TBAs in promoting maternal and child health (MCH) issues and in referring pregnant women to health institutions, twenty days of capacity building training is provided on MCH, referral systems, Harmful Traditional Practices (HTPs) with a special emphasis on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Family planning, The roles and responsibilities of TBAs as a local health promoter etc. is delivered to 15 TBAS. Similarly, a community conversation (CC) facilitation skill training is also delivered to 15 health extension workers (HEWs) and subsequently, with these HEWs' voluntary base facilitation, CC participants are organized and the CCs are been conducted in each of the five sub districts of Awash.

Through these CCs, it has been able to bring key stakeholders like Religious leaders, HEWs, youths and children, Community health workers or TBAs, clan leaders and other influential bodies together in one place and enable them find out their common problems and threats in relation to MCH to find solution by themselves through participating in the cycle from the planning stage all the way to action and evaluation.