October 2020

October 01, 2020
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Midwives improve access to family planning services in Madagascar

Health Systems Strengthening
Women & Gender
Family planning client Meva and her son at their home in Mananjary, Madagascar

In 2018, Madagascar enacted a new family planning law allowing youth to seek family planning services without parental consent. However, young couples still face major obstacles accessing these vital services due to a lack of availability, persistent cultural and religious beliefs, and minimal information about available options.

Training and empowering midwives to provide contraceptive services, particularly to Malagasy youth, is a key to overcoming these challenges. Here’s how the many midwives, supported by the USAID-funded ACCESS program, are playing this critical role.

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October 07, 2020
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Frontline Health Workers Call for Improved WASH to Fight COVID-19

Health Systems Strengthening
{As an HIV-positive woman with an HIV-negative husband and three HIV-negative sons, Margaret’s a role model for how women with HIV can thrive with access to essential services and information. Photo by Patrick Meinhardt for IntraHealth International.}As an HIV-positive woman with an HIV-negative husband and three HIV-negative sons, Margaret’s a role model for how women with HIV can thrive with access to essential services and information. Photo by Patrick Meinhardt for IntraHealth International.

Health workers not only need water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to prevent the spread of COVID-19 right now but also to provide safe essential health services every day. But 25% of health facilities around the world lack basic water services. One in six facilities doesn’t have hand hygiene services, such as soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub, available at points of care. And health workers in facilities in sub-Saharan Africa face even greater WASH challenges.

Two frontline health workers—Margaret Odera and Dr. Ann Phoya—recently called for improved WASH services during an event alongside the 75th United Nations General Assembly. Read on to find out what it’s like to be a health worker on the frontlines without WASH and the steps they are taking to access and improve WASH in Kenya and Malawi.

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