Safer Births and Impoved Sanitation for South Sudanese Refugees

Safer Births and Improved Sanitation for South Sudanese Refugees A collaboration between Maternity Foundation and PlanBørnefonden in Gambella Refugee Camps in Ethiopia

January 2019

THE PARTNERSHIP IN GAMBELLA

DANISH PLANBO/RNEFONDEN AND MATERNITY FOUNDATION ARE COLLABORATING IN REFUGEE CAMPS IN ETHIOPIA’S GAMBELLA REGION. Maternity Foundation and PlanBørnefonden’s compound in Nguenyyiel Refugee Camp.

Maternity Foundation

PlanBørnefonden

Collaboration in Gambella

Maternity Foundation is a Danish develop­ ment organization working to reduce maternal and newborn mortality in low­ and middle income countries through digi­ tal tools and clinical trainings in safe deli­ very practices.

PlanBørnefonden is a Danish organization working to enable a sustainable future for children, youth, families and communities in some of the world’s most fragile settings.

PlanBørnefonden has acquired extensive experience with implementing humani­ tarian interventions in Africa – both in complex humanitarian settings and in response to disasters such as the Ebola outbreak, acute malnutrition situations and floodings.

In Ethiopia, Maternity Foundation and PlanBørnefonden are collaborating on Emergency Maternal and Child Health and WASH Response for South Sudanese refugees in the Gambella Region.

The program is funded by the Danish Emergency Relief Fund (DERF), Novo Nordisk Foundation and other donors.

Together with partners, Maternity Foun­ dation has developed The Safe Delivery App, a digital learning tool for midwives.

In Ethiopia, Maternity Foundation is a regi­ stered foreign NGO and has been imple­ menting maternal and newborn health programs since 2006.

PlanBørnefonden is part of Plan Interna­ tional, working to improve children’s rights in over 70 countries worldwide.

Key program activities include training health workers in safer childbirth and newborn care with the Safe Delivery App as well as constructing latrines and raising awareness on hygiene and family planning.

The program period is from August 2017 to March 2019.

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Maternity Foundation & PlanBørnefonden

Maternity Foundation & PlanBørnefonden

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IMPROVING MATERNAL AND NEWBORN HEALTH AMONG REFUGEES Ethiopia’s western region of Gambella is home to about 450,000 refugees from South Sudan living across seven different camps.

Since 2017, Danish Maternity Foundation and PlanBørnefonden have partnered up to increase and improve access to maternal and newborn care and improved sanitation for refugees living in Gambella.

The key programs and activities include: • Training midwives in the camp clinics in Basic Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (BEmONC) with the Safe Delivery App. • Supporting clinics and mothers by donating medical equipment, hygiene kits and other materials.

• Constructing latrines and raising awareness on hygiene and family planning.

The Safe Delivery App The Safe Delivery App is a smartphone application developed by Maternity Foundation, Copenhagen University and University of Southern Denmark. It uses intuitive animated instructions to guide health workers in how to handle childbirth emergencies. The App includes quizzes, descriptions of practical procedures, and drug lists that midwives and health workers can always refer to – either on the job, in their spare time or as part of their training.

Nguenyyiel Refugee Camp in Gambella is hosting around 75,000 South Sudanese refugees. Nicola Zewge is a midwife at the main health facility in Nguenyyiel Camp and together with his colleagues, he has been trained by Maternity Foundation on basic emergency obstetrics and newborn care (BEmONC) with the Safe Delivery App as a key component in the training.

“I use the App every day. I use it directly in my work, and when I am not busy, I use it to check up on procedures and actions.

Our work is risky – we have the lives of mothers and their babies in our hands every day. The Safe Delivery App makes it easier for us to manage. I think all midwives should use it”, Nicola said while showing us the app on the tablet that was provided to the clinic through Maternity Foundation and PlanBørnefonden.

Since Nicola was introduced to the Safe Delivery App, it has become a constant source of support in his work at the clinic where they manage up to 150 deliveries every month.

For Nicola’s colleague, midwife Beri Rufi, the combination of in­person training and tech­based learning through the Safe Delivery App makes a big difference in his work: “My confidence has increased after the training. Because I got the training and have the App at hand, it’s easy to refer to the App and try to manage what is happening. When we have no case, we practice the procedures in the app. It is very important for me. It makes us learn every day.”

Since 2017, 57 midwives across six refugee camps have been trained through the Safe Delivery App. In addition to training, Maternity Foundation and PlanBørnefonden are providing hygiene items and dignity kits for new mothers with soap, sanitary pads and other essential items, as well as medical equipment and mobile tablets for the health facilities.

Key Maternal and Newborn Health activities:

A mother and her newborn in Nguenyyiel Refugee Camp.

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Maternity Foundation & PlanBørnefonden

Midwives Nicola Zewge and Beri Rufi in Nguenyyiel Refugee Camp.

• Training 57 midwives across six camps in Basic Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (BEmONC) with the Safe Delivery App • Training 22 health professionals and 87 support staff across six camps in infection prevention and patient safety • Providing medical equipment to health facilities in six camps • Providing dignity kits for new mothers in six camps Maternity Foundation & PlanBørnefonden

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BETTER SANITATION AND HYGIENE PlanBørnefonden has technical expertise implementing Water, Sanitation and ­Hygiene (WASH) interventions in huma­ nitarian settings. In response to the big need for improved hygiene and sanitation, ­ Maternity Foundation and PlanBørnefonden have constructed nearly 500 latrines in Nguen­yyiel camp as well as 120 new urine-diverting dry toilets and bathing ­areas – all with active participation from the refugee community.

WASH Interventions in Nguenyyiel Refugee Camp: • Construction of 500 latrines • Construction of 120 urinediverting dry toilets (UDDT) • Community outreach and awareness activities by 25 Community Outreach Agents • Training 519 Community Outreach Agents across all camps in sexual reproductive health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

As an integrated part of the program, the team on the ground trained 25 Community Outreach Agents to raise awareness and mobilize the community on issues of health, hygiene and sanitation.

Refugees themselves, the community outreach agents go door-to-door to teach and promote good hygiene and health practices. They educate their fellow Nguenyyiel residents in areas such as hand sanitation, correct use of the newly constructed latrines, and how to detect danger signs in pregnancies and newborns that require medical attention at the clinic.

Two Community Outreach Agents in Nguenyyiel Refugee Camp.

THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP The combination of Maternity Founda­ tion’s more than 10 years of expe­rience in maternal and newborn care in Ethiopia, and PlanBørnefonden’s exper­ tise within

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Information post for the new urine-diverting latrines in Nguenyyiel Refugee Camp.

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Maternity Foundation & PlanBørnefonden

emergency response sets a solid foundation for a partnership to improve health, hygiene, and maternal and newborn health among Gambella’s refugee population.

Every mother and newborn deserve a safe childbirth – no matter where they live. Roughly 60% of all maternal deaths happen in countries affected by humanitarian crisis. In addition to the many other challenges women face in refugee settings, going through pregnancy and childbirth is extra vulnerable.

By joining forces with PlanBørnefonden and using a combination of on-theground experience and new, innovative technologies, we have made a much stronger and effective response.

Anna Frellsen CEO of Maternity Foundation

We really appreciated the opportunity to work together with Maternity Foundation in a humanitarian setting, knowing that their expertise and mobile health solutions for Maternal and Newborn health was needed where more than 80% of the refugee population are women and children. This is an example of an innovative partnership to respond to needs on the ground in a new way.

Anne Smith Petersen PlanBørnefonden’s Director of Programme, Influence and Grants Maternity Foundation & PlanBørnefonden

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www.maternity.dk www.planbornefonden.dk

A collaboration between:

With support from: Administration for Refugee and Returnee Aairs (ARRA)

The Safe Delivery App is developed with: