Support to Support to the Safe Motherhood Programme (SSMP)

• Overview
• Recent Highlights

Overview

The Support to Support to the Safe Motherhood Programme (SSMP) is a 5-year DFID-funded programme working directly with the Government of Nepal Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) to support the National Safe Motherhood Programme. SSMP is managed by Options UK.

JHU/CCP’s role as a partner within SSMP is to provide technical support in health communication, both for the Government through the National Health Education, Information and Communication Centre (NHEICC) and for other SSMP implementing partners (ActionAid Nepal, United Mission to Nepal and UNICEF), which between them cover 21 districts.  JHU/CCP focuses on strengthening capacity in strategic communication planning, networking, implementation and monitoring and developing media and materials with guidelines for their use. Program activities are in line with the National Safe Motherhood IEC Strategy. Workshops are held to strengthen government and INGO/NGO partners’ capacity in developing, implementing and monitoring health communication programs.

At national level with government

Located within the NHEICC premises, JHU/CCP has assisted with national research in Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) and facilitated approval of the standard technical content for maternal and neonatal health communication. Guidelines have been shared with all government health facilities and NGOs/INGOs working in maternal and newborn health to ensure national consistency in the content of maternal and newborn health messages.

At district level with SSMP Partners and networks

JHU/CCP-SSMP provides technical support to district level partners for their BCC capacity building and activities.  Towards that effort, JHU/CCP has updated and disseminated a number of printed materials and a 26-episode radio drama called “Life’s Responsibility” about maternal and newborn health using the successful SUMATA or 'Care, Share, Prepare' Campaign. JHU/CCP has built on their work with updates and widespread dissemination of the media and materials.   In addition to SSMP partners, the media and materials have been shared through other organizations, including GTZ, International Rescue Committee, Merlin and the Safe Motherhood Network Federation.

The materials are as follows:

1. Maternal Danger Signs poster*
2. Skilled Birth Attendant poster*
3. Birth Preparedness poster*
4. Maternal Health Action Card *
5. Interpersonal Communication (IPC) Skills Video and facilitators guide for improving IPC skills of community level workers.
6. TV drama, “The Good Husband”
7. Facilitators guidelines for the  radio programme, “Life’s Responsibility”
8. Facilitators’ guidebook on Maternal and Newborn Health topics for Non-Formal Educators (Literacy classes)

Note: Many of these materials were initially developed by the USAID-funded Maternal and Newborn Health program and Nepal Family Health Program and the DfID funded Nepal Safer Motherhood Project and NHEICC.

Recent Highlights

New Radio Program Launched
Announcing 'Aama' Maternal and Newborn Health Radio Program Launch from 5 locations in Nepal

SSMP is pleased to announce the launch of the 26-episode localized radio magazine program 'Aama' ('Mother') from 5 different FM and regional radio stations in Nepal, namely Surkhet, Chitewan, Rupandehi, Morang and Baglung. The entertaining and educational 'Aama' program was designed to raise awareness on maternal and newborn health issues among Nepal's mothers, husbands and in-laws.   The magazine program format includes mini-dramas, interviews, songs, case studies, and quizzes.  Based on standard technical content approved by Nepal government, and with technical support from JHU/CCP-SSMP and EAP each of the 5 districts developed their own localized programs by raising local issues, interviewing district-level officials and community members, local songs and in local language, where appropriate.  The 15 minute programs will air weekly starting in September 2007.

Maternal and Newborn Health Advocacy Event for Parliamentarians

On 13 September 2007 at Hotel Annapurna, more than 200 participants from all 8 political parties, Ministry of Health and Population, journalists, INGOs/NGOs, donors, and the general public gathered to make a commitment to ensuring the rights of mothers and newborns in Nepal. 

The speakers highlighted that even though the health of mothers and newborns had improved in the last decade, the current situation is that one woman is dying every four hours from maternal related complications and three newborns die every hour.  They emphasized that this is still a critical problem that requires political commitment.

During the event, party members pledged to put the issue of the safe motherhood and newborn health in their election manifesto and to seek to collecting additional fund to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) related to the health of women and children. They also committed to have provision in all hospital and health centers to be fully equipped to deal with maternal and newborn health issues.

The advocacy event was organized by Safe Motherhood Network Federation with support from National Health Education Information, Communication Center (NHEICC), Save the Children US, Support to Safe Motherhood Programme, Johns Hopkins/Center for Communication Programs and the Nepal Family Health Program.  The event was televised in the evening news and sparked more than 8 articles in both Nepali and English newspapers. 

View the final booklet developed for the event (PDF)