Project Launch: 5-11-16

Saving Mothers Giving Life (SMGL) is a major public-private partnership led by the U.S. Government to improve maternal health in Zambia, Uganda and Nigeria. Working with the Zambian Ministry of Health, groups of volunteer health workers have formed Safe Motherhood Action Groups (SMAGs), which carry out health initiatives at the community level, helping to reduce critical delays for community members seeking life-saving maternal care at health facilities. This project will conduct a needs assessment of SMAG volunteers in order to gather feedback and data to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the program and overall quality of care.

Progress Update: 8/12/16

The initial needs assessment of the SMAG Volunteers has been conducted. Over the next month, the team will review the results and better tailor training and other activities to improve the capacity of the Volunteers and further develop engagement with local mothers, drawing upon the cultural fluency and firsthand experiences of their personnel.

Final Report: 10/5/2016

The final assessment has discussed the vital importance of SMAG Volunteers in Zambian healthcare. The report also identified ongoing challenges in maintaining the SMAG Volunteer Corps and identified an ongoing need to hold re-trainings and professional support activities for those in the field. The recommendations of the report will be used to inform decision makers in their attempts to better make SMAGs more useful and effective in the future.