Investing in lasting change requires a whole of society approach. By tackling maternal and child health issues from the community level to national and regional policy arenas, the Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa Initiative supported equitable lifesaving solutions including improving the quality and provision of health services and removing cultural and gender-related barriers to access healthcare.    

Changing the lives of women and children in sub-Saharan Africa  

Major progress has been made worldwide in reducing maternal and child morbidity and mortality. These improvements contribute toward achieving Targets 3.1 (Reduce maternal mortality) and 3.2 (End all preventable deaths under 5 years of age) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Nevertheless, this progress is not uniform around the world. Sub-Saharan Africa is among the regions that still registers a high number of maternal and child deaths, most of which are caused by preventable and treatable diseases.  

The Innovating for Maternal and Child Health in Africa (IMCHA) initiative sought to support locally relevant interventions that foster better health outcomes. From 2014 to 2022, IMCHA made important strides toward improving the lives of women and children in 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Co-funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), IMCHA was an eight-year, CAD36-million initiative.  

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Practical solutions to tackle difficult challenges 

The following seven tiles highlight some of IMCHA’s success stories and lessons learned to improve policies and practices for better maternal and child health outcomes. 

At the Okpekpe Primary Health Center

Community-based interventions

To create demand for better access and quality healthcare and ensure sustainable change, it is important to involve various groups in the community as part of this effort.
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Dr. Oluwafemi Ogunrayi taking the vital signs of Loveth Paul during the clinic antenatal visit at Okpekpe community Primary Health Center

Quality of care

Some IMCHA research teams worked with health facilities to ensure that women and children receive high-quality and respectful services.


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Mom with baby photo by Alex Wynter

Evidence-informed policies and practices to improve maternal and child health

Health policies, systems or programs do not improve automatically just because sound evidence is available.
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At the Okpekpe Primary Health Center

Improving women’s reproductive health

Improving education around and access to family planning can help reduce unwanted pregnancies and prevent unsafe or illegal abortions.
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At the Okpekpe Primary Health Center

Better health for adolescents

Access to reproductive health information and services can help adolescents better understand how to avoid unwanted pregnancies.


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Maimouna Seck, president of Bajenu Gox during the ceremony of giving identification badges to women members of the association in the presence of the authorities of Kaolack

Strengthening community health workers for improved health outcomes

Strengthening Community Health Worker’s roles and capacity expands the reach of health information and services especially in underserved communities.
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At the Okpekpe Primary Health Center

Engaging males for better maternal and child health

Male involvement is associated with improved maternal health outcomes resulting from increased care-seeking at health facilities for prenatal care, delivery and postnatal care, as well as improved home care practices.
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