HEALTH AND NUTRITION
Save the Children’s Health and Nutrition program focuses on maternal and newborn health, Adolescent, Sexual and Reproductive Health and nutrition. We work closely with the government’s Ministry of Health and Child Care, partner organisations and communities to ensure that no mother dies while giving birth, that no child dies of preventable causes before their fifth birthday and gets adequate nutrition to ensure health, growth and development. We also advocate and support the provision of improved quality and access to health care services for mothers and newborns and work to increase the demand for health care services.
MARTENAL AND NEWBORN HEALTH
Save the Children believes no mother should die while giving birth and no child should die at birth. We support the training of health staff and community health staff to respond and improve access to maternal, reproductive and new born health services. Some of the priority activities we do include provision of medical and essential BEmONC equipment, facilitation and support for training health staff including village Health Workers in maternal and child health issues, i.e. BEmONC trainings aimed at improving timely identification and appropriate interventions for high risk mothers, revitalization of Kangaroo Mother Care units, logistical and technical support to the district health activities such as routine and outreach Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) programmes and strengthening the links between communities and rural health centres. Working with HCCs, using the Community Action Circle-communities are able to prioritize their health issues and map on how to resolve them-giving communities ownership and voice to how projects should be implemented.
NUTRITION
The Nutrition program addresses factors that contribute to maternal and infant malnutrition, through strengthening the capacity of district MoHCC and health facilities to reduce malnutrition. We implement programmes that include maternal health and nutrition; support to Vitamin A supplementation; promotion of optimal infant and young child feeding practices; nutrition education and awareness campaigns; community based growth monitoring and promotion ; management and treatment of malnutrition across age-groups. We do this through Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition and Targeted Supplementary Feeding.
Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations for Scaling Up Nutrition
Save the children has also been influential in Scaling up Nutrition movement in Zimbabwe, through its leadership in setting up the Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations for Scaling Up Nutrition (ZICOSUNA) in 2013. The alliance is chaired by Save the Children, and has convened a number of successful meetings. It is now actively participating in regional and international nutrition forums. This work has also extended to nationwide advocacy work on nutrition and nutrition policies.
