One laptop per midwife
African Health Initiative
Less than a year
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Improving and investing the health of mothers could have a lasting impact in the world's poorest countries. Given the opportunity and resources, this program has a great potential in averting mortality and morbidity in the worlds a poorest countries. Since most of the complications related to maternal mortality occur at any time during pregnancy or childbirth without forewarning, timely access to and use of quality obstetric services is essential. Studies have shown that if women have access to basic maternal health services, 80% of maternal deaths could be prevented. Providing midwives with tools and information plays an important role in this process. The "one laptop per midwife" is unique simply because it indirectly emphasizes the importance of improvement in local healthcare, training and education of midwives in essential obstetrics as well as improving quality of antenatal care. It is also unique because with availability of communication technology midwives in rural areas can have access to experts and other professionals without leaving their locations. As such, it will play a significant role in reduction of maternal mortality among rural and marginal communities.
Currently Ohio University's African Health Initiative joins with its long-established partner institutions Al Ahfad University for Women in Sudan and Bayero University Kano in Nigeria to promote higher education innovation in the improvement of teaching to save lives of women and children. Across Africa's extensive Islamic belt the circumstances surrounding child birth are dramatically more challenging than those elsewhere on the continent due to a number of factors that includes lack lack of access to education for girls and women.Our project is investigating the possibilities of collaboration through capacity building exercises and technological innovation to share teaching and consultation through internet-based platforms. The one laptop per child project will be incorporated as part of this overall effort.
Sudan is one of the world's least successful example of reaching global improvements in maternal mortality. Among the reasons for the state of maternal mortality in Sudan include lack of skilled birth attendants.
The project follows a purely participatory approach to improve the above mentioned needs. As such we have identified individuals from partner institutions to work with us in every aspect of this program. Ohio University is a leader in research and teaching for public and community health, in the study of Islamic Africa as well as in technological innovation for teaching. Similarly Ahfad University for women in Omdurman, Sudan has developed a special emphasis on health issues, particularly women's health. The School of Health Sciences, and out project partner Dr. Nafisa Bedri, work on issues tying health education, management and policy to specific issues in reproductive health and nutrition, improving the access that all of Sudan's women have to these important areas of information.
By creating a maternal health centered public health program, this project aims at reducing maternal mortality. The use of information technology will also have an extraordinary impact on the quality of maternal care but will aslo improve learning.
101‐1000
$50 - 100
Yes
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Idea phase
Yes
Yes
Yes
We anticipate active support from our partners to successfully implement our programs.
In the first year the success of this project will depend on the nature and organization of maternal health care in Sudan. Effective partnership with professionals in the area, policy makers as well as educational institutions will have a significant role in the success of this project.
Lack of financial sustainability along with other factors such as lack receptiveness towards information and communication based learning may hamper this project.
In the second year such partnership can be extended to other stakeholders including local and international non-governmental organization that work in similar areas.
In the third year support from the general public will have a significant effect on this project.
High number of maternal and child mortality rates in the Sahel region of Africa was the catlyst for this project,
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Approximately 250 words left (2000 characters).