On International Women's Day 2026, HCASSC launched its most ambitious healthcare initiative to date: a cross-border Maternal and Child Health Campaign spanning Malawi, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal, with the overarching goal of achieving a 40% reduction in preventable maternal and under-five mortality across target communities within 24 months.
The campaign deploys 60 newly trained Community Midwives — 15 per country — each assigned to a cluster of villages within a defined catchment area. Midwives conduct monthly home visits to all pregnant women registered in their cluster, facilitate facility-based deliveries where possible, and provide postnatal care and breastfeeding support for the first 40 days after birth. Each midwife is equipped with a delivery kit, a smartphone with a customised maternal health tracking app, and a bicycle for community rounds.
The programme also includes a network of 120 mother-support groups meeting fortnightly to share experiences, identify warning signs during pregnancy, and practise newborn care skills — an evidence-based approach shown in comparable programmes to reduce neonatal mortality by up to 30%.
"Every woman deserves to survive childbirth — this should not be a privilege determined by geography," said HCASSC Health Director Dr. Carla Mendonça. "In the communities we are targeting, giving birth is still the most dangerous thing a woman can do. We are determined to change that."
The campaign is supported by the WHO, UNFPA, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. An independent baseline survey has been completed in all four countries, and results will be published annually to track progress toward the 40% mortality reduction target.
