Management Sciences for Health to Continue Enhancing Maternal and Infant Health in Guatemala

Arlington, VA—August 18, 2024—Management Sciences for Health (MSH) announced today that it will expand its support of Guatemala’s Ministry of Health and Social Assistance efforts to improve maternal, newborn, and child health among indigenous families for three additional years in the Departments of Quetzaltenango and San Marcos.

The announcement comes as MSH and its partners in Guatemala celebrate the achievements of the past five years under the Healthy Mothers and Babies Project—known locally as Utz’ Na’n—which focused on expanding access to and use of quality, culturally relevant care for indigenous women.

The three-year extension will enable the project to continue its work in Quetzaltenango and San Marcos and cover one to two additional departments in the highlands region based on needs assessments. The additional funding also allows the project to expand its emphasis on postnatal care and newborn and child health, ensuring that children receive the care and support they need during their first 1,000 days of life.

“We welcome the opportunity to continue working shoulder to shoulder with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance and our partners in the name of improving maternal and newborn health and contributing to the reduction of maternal mortality in Guatemala,” said Dr. Felipe López, Utz’ Na’n Project Director. “This additional funding will allow us to increase our impact in the areas and communities of greatest need and to ensure that more women and children receive the lifesaving care they deserve.”

Since launching in 2019, Utz’ Na’n has made significant strides in improving maternal and newborn health in Guatemala, where the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) stands at 103 deaths per 100,000 live births—the sixth highest in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Indigenous women, who comprise 44% of the population, are disproportionately affected, accounting for two-thirds of maternal deaths in the country.

To date, Utz’ Na’n has trained 350 facility-based health providers across 25 municipalities in San Marcos and Quetzaltenango departments to strengthen their ability to provide high quality, culturally relevant antenatal care (ANC) to indigenous pregnant women. The project also partners with abuelas comadronas, or traditional midwives, to increase their knowledge about key themes—like the identification of danger signs during pregnancy and the importance of early referral to health facilities—and better integrate them into the health system. With support from Utz’ Na’n, comadronas have facilitated more than 7,500 referrals of pregnant women to receive care at health facilities.

These efforts have had a significant impact on the early uptake and adherence to both individual and group ANC services among indigenous pregnant women in the project’s areas of implementation. From 2021 to 2024, the number of women who attended their first ANC visit within the first trimester of pregnancy increased from under 11.9% to 13.7%, while the number of women attending at least four ANC visits increased from 40.8% in 48.4%. Group ANC services saw similar improvements, with early uptake increasing from 8.3% to 12.2% and adherence surging from 41.5% to 60% from 2022 to 2024.

“The successes of the Utz’ Na’n project are deeply rooted in strong collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance; our partners PIES de Occidente, the Observatory for Sexual and Reproductive Health, and the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala; and the communities we serve—a multisector partnership in which academia, civil society, local and international organizations, and communities come together for the common good.” said Dr. López. “Grounded by these local partnerships and informed by human-centered design, our approach aims to ensure that indigenous women and children can access care that is culturally responsive, effective, and in alignment with national quality standards.”

The Utz’ Na’n project is possible thanks to the generosity of Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies. For more information, visit here.