Great progress thanks to the ACOSME project!

It is with great pride that we conclude the ACOSME project (Appui au Continuum de Santé mère-enfant) in Haiti after 6 years of activities. Carried out in partnership with the International Health Unit of the University of Montreal (USI), there is no doubt that this project has been a real success and has brought considerable and lasting changes to maternal and child health in the North of Haiti.

Why this project?

Haiti faces high maternal and infant mortality (children: 81 deaths per 1,000 live births; women: 480 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2017) and low utilization of services due to several reasons such as poor quality of care and services, remoteness or distance, unavailability of medicines and health resources, price of services, etc. All of these conditions hinder optimal attendance at health institutions and increased utilization of services.

Project goals: Improved supply and quality of essential services; Improved utilization of health services;  Capacity building of health workers;  Training and development of health workers' skills; ​Community mobilization.

By and for women

 

From the outset, women, as the primary stakeholders, were deemed essential to participate in raising community awareness about this issue. Indeed, the project's services had to reflect the needs and rights of mothers, pregnant women and newborns, while improving their use and understanding. 

For this reason, the project created Women's Health Service Users' Committees (WHSCs). These committees, made up of women, now serve as an intermediary between the health institutions and the population. They provide tools, awareness, information and mobilization of the communities around maternal and child health issues and promote the use of services offered by the health institutions in the region.

The impact of ACOSME and its results

• Half a million people have been reached by ACOSME. 
• Construction and purchase of equipment for 3 new health centres and support to 16 institutions in strengthening the availability and quality of care for women. 
• Decline in infant mortality rate in the region
• Increased attendance at antenatal clinics and improved access to care
• Creation of innovative micro-projects (such as motorbike ambulances).
• Increasing the rate and quality of staff training and raising public awareness of the issue.

The ACOSME project is carried out in partnership with the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP), and is implemented by the consortium of USI/UdeM and CECI. The Support to the Mother-Child Health Continuum project is funded by Global Affairs Canada (MAC).