Challenges
According to WHO, every two minutes a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth. Yet, most of these deaths could be prevented through access to high quality and respectful maternal health care and through addressing gender and other inequalities affecting sexual and reproductive health and rights. As many women around the world are still faced with unintended pregnancies, it is vital to provide and promote age-appropriate health education as well as access to modern contraceptives, especially for adolescent girls.
At the same time, child mortality rates remain to be a concern, as approximately five million children under-5 die worldwide every year. Access to basic lifesaving interventions, breastfeeding and adequate nutrition, vaccinations, and treatment for common illnesses could avoid this. Evidence also shows that family planning programs promoting an interval of two years or more between births can significantly decrease infant mortality rates.
GFA concept and services
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GFA contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 3 by implementing projects that reduce maternal mortality, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under-5, and ensure universal access to SRHR services.
To that end, the company adopts a health systems strengthening approach through service delivery that supports structures and processes for quality improvement and the development of clinical protocols and standards. A network of experts fosters and upgrades the capacity of health professionals through training, coaching and mentoring, using face-to-face, digital and blended methods and tools.
GFA helps ministries set up functioning, rehabilitated, resilient, and equipped health facilities, and implement performance-based funding mechanisms. The company’s inhouse procurement expertise ensures continuous supplies of medicines and commodities where needed, including the use of social marketing. Leadership and governance through management mentoring, evidence-based planning, and monitoring and evaluation constitute complementing efforts.
Finally, GFA’s long-standing experience in implementing community engagement and social and behavior change programs applying a gender transformative approach ensures that families adopt healthy habits at the household level. As a result, families use health services and space their pregnancies, and communities reduce the stigma and social marginalization regarding people living with HIV.
Young people are educated and health services oriented towards their need for age-appropriate information and services to protect them from unwanted pregnancies and ensure they remain healthy.
Contact
Eva Schildbach
Director Health Department
E-mail: eva.schildbach[at]gfa-group.de
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