Health Beyond Walls (HBW)

In Malawi just like many third world countries, many women experience disrespectful, abusive, or neglectful treatment during child birth in most facilities. These practices violate women's rights, hinder women from seeking and using maternal health care services and can bring about complications for their health and well being and of their expected babies.

Experience has shown that in countries with high maternal mortality, the fear of disrespect and abuse that women often encounter in facility based maternity care is more significant.

The project aims at empowering the women with the appropriate information, tools, and techniques for provision of respectful maternity care and generate demand for, increased social accountability for , and secure commitments on the issue of Respectful Maternal Care.

The project will make use of innovative technologies including the SMS technology and virtual clinic for information sharing and reporting any form of abuse. 

Malawi is one of the least developed nations in the world. Life expectancy from birth is approximately 47 years ( UNDP, 2008). More than half of the population is considered poor (NSO, 2005). MMR is at 675 per 100,000 and women assisted by skilled birth attendants is at 71% (MDHS 2010). Neonatal mortality , which is very high (27/1,000 live births), accounts for over 30% of under five mortality and this has an effect on further progress in reducing child mortality. Some of the factors that contributed to MMR are: Perceived or real negative provider attitudes, Low levels of provider competency and skills, and lack of supportive supervision, Cultural beliefs, stigma, and clients and providers perceptions of various health conditions and services. Gender and the decision making process, lack of awareness and recognition of signs and symptoms  of obstetric danger signs, lack of awareness of availability of services, and more common poor quality of care in facilities during childbirth, including disrespectful and abusive treatment by health providers and facility staff.

Health Beyond Walls is an approach centered on the individual, based on principles of ethics and respect for human rights, and promotes practices that recognise women's preferences and women's and newborns needs.

The proposed solution uses a mobile phone SMS technology and a virtual Clinic platform to help women monitor health services and report any abuse or stigma they face when accessing Maternity Care. The innovations also raises awareness to the women through mobile SMS so they know their health rights and understand Health Workers rights. Through the virtual clinic the innovation will help improve health providers knowledge on facility based Respectful Maternity Care through online learning and sharing of ideas. The issues raised by the women through the innovation on how they are treated in health facilities will be used for advocacy at facility level so that positive changes happen and Respectful Maternity Care achieved. 

The proposed solution will not only reach and improve lives and knowledge levels of the targeted communities. The project is anticipated to reach many people outside of targeted areas through the radio program that will be aired to share persistent issues women face when accessing Maternity Services. It is expected that the project will have the following impact:

1: Increased awareness on Respectful Maternity Care issues among health service providers

2: Increased demand for and access to the highest standards of maternity services

3: Reduced disrespect and abuse to pregnant and lactating mother's and their babies

4: Improved Care and Support of women of child bearing age

5 Reduced maternal and neonatal deaths

The challenge focus is on lower income countries and Malawi is such. The challenge focus on Maternal and Child Health and the solution is exactly that. The challenge encourages use of innovative and technologies and that's what the solution is all about.