Every woman,every child project launched

The Parent and Child Health Initiative (PACHI), in partnership with Youth Net and Counseling (YONECO) and Malawi Health Equity Network (MEHN), will implement an 18 months “ Every Woman, Every Child” project in Malawi.

The organization’s policy and advocacy officer, Laura Munthali, told the district executive committee in Dowa that the project has a vision of researching, innovation and capacity development in health and a mission of sustainable as well as cost-effective maternal and child health care.

Speaking to radio Islam Munthali said the project is being implemented in Zomba, Thyolo, Machinga, Mchinji and Dowa with support from John Hopkins, UNICEF, Ministry of Health, National Initiative for Civic Education and White Ribbon Alliance.

“I am hopeful that collaboration between duty bearers and communities will produce tangible results by 2035,” said Munthali.

She said they want to increase survival of children and mothers, efficient use of resources, effective services and improved social mobilization as well as accountability, commitments and information transparency.

Dowa District Civil Society Organizations Network chair, Mr. Maxwell Kadutsa asked MEHN to ensure that there is transparency and accountability in the project’s implementations.

“Resources at district level are very low even though the question of budget tracking and analysis is there,” lamented Kadutsa.

He, however, expressed hope that if the project is implemented well and in the interest of communities, Malawi will realize reduction of maternal and neonatal deaths as well as improving service delivery to adolescent girls.

PACHI will implement “Every Woman, Every Child project in Dowa district with funding from UNICEF, European Union and DFID amounting to 61.5 million kwacha.