During the past month LNP, together with its partners, has continued its intensive community engagement under the CRADLE SMART, CRADLE-B and PAPAGAIO and the following provides a brief overview of everything that has transpired.
Engagement & Training of Traditional Birth Attendants
One of the major activities during the month was a one-day intensive training and engagement program with Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), focusing on:
- understanding and overcoming barriers that prevent pregnant women from accessing quality and respectful healthcare
- learning from the experiences and perspectives of TBAs themselves
- strengthening collaboration between the TBAs and the available community health facilities
- improving effective communication and information concerning appropriate referral pathways
- promoting the early referral of pregnant women to the available health facilities
- encouraging the TBAs to work collaboratively with the trained health workers
- strengthening community-based support for pregnant women and their newborns.
The engagement provided an important opportunity for LNP, and its partners, to listen to the TBAs and better understand the challenges they face in supporting pregnant women.
A particularly encouraging outcome was that many of the TBAs expressed willingness to strengthen collaboration with community health facilities and work together to address barriers affecting pregnant women’s access to quality and respectful healthcare.
Community Sensitisation & Engagement
LNP Hub Members continued to conduct community sensitisation, health education and stakeholders’ engagement activities, also collecting feedback from TBAs, community members, health workers and other stakeholders.
These engagements provided valuable information about the barriers affecting pregnant women, and helped LNP identify areas where further intervention and collaboration may be required.
Engagement With Community Health Facilities
The LNP team also visited community health facilities, engaging with those responsible for the locally-available facilities and with the local health workers as part of efforts to understand and address the various barriers affecting pregnant women being able to access quality and respectful healthcare.
The discussions focused on strengthening relationships between the communities and the health facilities, improving referral systems, understanding the challenges faced by the health workers and identifying practical solutions that could improve the field of maternal healthcare.
LNP also engaged the local community stakeholders and health workers, seeking to gather their views and experiences regarding the delivery and utilisation of maternal health services.
Community Engagement & Key Findings
Engagements with the different communities. including Aberdeen, Tombo, Kuntorloh, Portee, Rokupa, Thunder Hill, Looking Town, Kamayama and Moa Wharf were productive.
Community stakeholders in Thunder Hill, Rokupa, and some other communities, approached LNP to seek support in addressing the various fundamental challenges affecting the provision and utilisation of health services for pregnant women.
LNP has subsequently commenced engagement with the relevant community stakeholders, seeking to better understand their challenges, to explore possible solutions and attempt to resolve any potential areas of conflict.
These engagements demonstrate the importance of listening to communities, creating opportunities for community members, TBAs, health workers and program partners to jointly identify and address the barriers to maternal and newborn healthcare.
CRADLE SMART: Tombo Community Stakeholders & Healthcare Workers discussing solutions to address barriers affecting pregnant women in the community
CRADLE SMART: Mama Beach Community Stakeholders & Healthcare Workers Engagement
