Gujarat: MICA, UNICEF to work on maternal, child health project

In a massive project to improve maternal and child health in the state, MICA will help UNICEF in child health management and behaviour change communication programme.

MICA and UNICEF India — Gandhinagar State Office signed a Project Cooperation Agreement for a two-year partnership which will focus on improving maternal and child health through routine immunisation, adolescent empowerment and ODF or sanitation initiatives.

MICA will help UNICEF in conducting workshops on education and communication capacity building for decision makers, health delivery personnel, community influencers and stakeholders such as — leaders, youth, women and children.

The Centre for Development Management and Communication (CDMC) at MICA will undertake comprehensive field research and gap analysis of problem areas in priority areas to diagnose operational and managerial challenges and district-specific social, cultural, economic and political factors for effective implementation of social and behaviour change communication.

Officials at MICA said, "Project interventions will be based on needs identification across four districts including Narmada, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha and Kutch and one urban area — Surat. The primary focus will be adapting global guidelines and national strategies to make it actionable and relevant for Gujarat to address the specific needs of heterogeneous populations."

MICA President and Director Dr Shailendra Mehta, MICA Dean Dr Preeti Shroff and UNICEF Gujarat Chief Dr Laxmi Bhawani launched the partnership on Thursday. The partnership aims to support and strengthen various departments of Government of Gujarat (Health and Family Welfare, Women and Child Development, Education, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Social Justice and Empowerment and Tribal Development) in development of evidence-based action plans at the state and district levels for these programmes to further improve effectiveness of behaviour change interventions.