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's Maternal and Newborn Health (MNRH) work is organized around support for the delivery of three primary packages of services:
(a) family planning and reproductive health,
(b) ante-natal care, and,
(c) intra-partum and post-natal care.
The organization places particular emphasis on community-based service provision and achieving universal coverage of skilled birth attendance.
Family Planning and Reproductive Health: Save the Children seeks to reduce the unmet need for family planning and reproductive health services.
Antenatal Care: Save the Children collaborates with ministries of health and other partners to support the delivery of the WHO-endorsed "focused antenatal care" package.
Intra-Partum and Post-Natal Care: Save the Children collaborates with governments and other partners to improve access to quality intra-partum and post-natal care.
Child Health
Save the Children's child health programs focus on empowering frontline health workers and others to deliver these low-cost, proven interventions. Priority program areas include the following: Integrated community case management of childhood illness (iCCM); Community and facility based integrated management of neonatal and childhood illnesses (IMNCI).
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.