The ‘good practice guide’ on community mobilisation through women’s groups to improve the health of mothers and babies provides a case study of good practice in working with women’s groups to address maternal and newborn health and to share lessons learned from this experience. While the guide describes an approach used in rural communities in India and Bangladesh, this can be successfully adapted to different contexts.
Major successes of community mobilisation through women’s groups include a 45 per cent reduction in newborn deaths and a reduction in maternal deaths, as well as a 57 per cent reduction in moderate maternal depression in India; an increase in uptake of health services; a significant improvement in hygienic delivery practices, including use of delivery kits, and an increase in exclusive breastfeeding.
The guide is based on work implemented by an NGO, Ekjut, in India and the Perinatal Care Project of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (BADAS) in Bangladesh, together with the University College London Centre for International Health and Development and Women and Children First, an international NGO based in the UK.
Please contact Women and Children First or any of the project partners if you would like more information.