WV Sierra Leone has deployed the MOTECH Suite application across three of its area development programs (ADPs) in Bonthe District. As part of a maternal and child health program supported by WV Ireland and WV UK, the application allows community health workers to register pregnant women and children under two years of age, collect health information during their timed and targeted visits to the household, and refer high-risk and emergency cases to the nearest health center for treatment.

BackgroundOne of the strongest determinants of infant, under-5 and maternal mortality rates around the world is the number of available health workers. Together, World Vision and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone are working to increase access to maternal, newborn and child health across 22,000 households in Bonthe District. In Phase 1, 332 community health workers (CHWs) were trained in the delivery of an evidence-based framework developed and tested by World Vision. CHWs promote 7 key health interventions for pregnant women and 11 key health interventions for children under the age of two. These core interventions are encouraged using a behavior change communication and counseling approach utilized during a minimum of 10 timely household visits. Combining the Grameen Foundation’s MOTECH and Dimagi’s CommCare, the MOTECH Suite application allows CHWs to view overdue visits to households, register pregnant women and their children for the program, make emergency referrals to their affiliated health center, and collect household data for transmission to the health facility to support clinical and managerial decision-making. The application, therefore, allows CHWs to expedite three

mHealth:

Sierra Leone

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major processes: registration, visits and services, and referral and counter-referral.

Stakeholder Engagement

Key stakeholders at the international and national level include: Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone Ministry of Information and Communications, Sierra Leone National Telecom Regulator (NatCom), Sierra Leone Airtel Sierra Leone Irish Aid, UK Aid, and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Dimagi, Grameen Foundation, MOTECH Suite Centre for Global Health, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and the

University of Sierra Leone

Targets

Bonthe District is located in Sierra Leone’s Southern Province. The current program targets the catchment population of 26 health centers in Bonthe District. Together, the 332 trained CHWs serve over 22,000 households, targeting not only pregnant women and their children, but also the key decision makers within each home. In collaboration with the District Health Management Team, World Vision has further trained a number of key health staff in the provision of supportive supervision of CHWs. Plans are afoot to train additional CHWs in the delivery of the timed and targeted health messages as well as the use of the phones with the MOTECH Suite application across the whole district and subsequently at national level, totalling 2500 CHWs.

Partnering and Financial Support

Phase I: Irish Aid, UK Aid, Bill and Melinda Gates FoundationPhase II: Irish Aid & UK AidPhase III: TBD

Contact

Project Management Name: Augustine TryeTitle: Project CoordinatorTeam/Office: WV Sierra Leone ProgrammePhone: +232-76-398900Email: Augustine_Trye@wvi.org

Strategic LeadName: Magnus Mordu ContehTitle: Health Programme Coordinator, East and West AfricaTeam/Office: WV IrelandPhone: +353-877560264,

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Email: magnus_conteh@wvi.org

Technical LeadName: Christian Bumboo JohnsonTitle: ICT4D ManagerTeam/Office: WV Sierra LeonePhone: +232-76-624518Email: Christian_Bumboo-Johnson@wvi.org

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