(L-R) Andrew Chari, Kongchay Vongsaiya, Lavinia Magiar, Aye Aye Myint

Burnet ANCP project managers from Zimbabwe, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea spent last week in Melbourne undertaking a monitoring and evaluation workshop.

Andrew Chari from Zimbabwe, Kongchay Vonsaiya from Lao PDR, Aye Aye Myint from Myanmar and Lavinia Magiar from Papua New Guinea, worked closely with Burnet’s Melbourne-based Program Managers to develop a monitoring, evaluation and learning framework to support their local projects.

The AusAID NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) supports accredited Australian non-government organisations (NGOs) such as the Burnet Institute to implement development programs that complement Australia’s aid program.

Recently, Burnet added two new countries to its ANCP portfolio – Zimbabwe and Myanmar – with both country projects focusing on maternal and child health, a key Institute-wide research health theme.

In Zimbabwe, Andrew Chari manages a new program in Mashonaland Central Province aimed at increasing demand and uptake of facility-based maternal and child health services to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths.

Two innovative approaches of the program include the development and use of Action Birth Cards and the refurbishment of “Family Friendly Maternal Waiting Homes” in the province.

In Myanmar, the project being managed by Aye Aye Myint is centred on four rural villages of Thanlyin and three peri-urban areas of Insein.

Among the initiatives underway include the training of Township Medical Officers from 45 townships on emergency maternal care; enhancing the technical skills of community volunteers to address maternal and child health issues; and increasing health knowledge of mothers concerning the importance of pregnancy, delivery and postpartum.

In Lao PDR a district-based maternal and child health project is based in the Meungvang area of Vilabouly District, Savannakhet Province. Ms Kongchay Vonsaiya said the project’s aim was to improve the health and nutritional status of women and children.

She coordinates a mobile health service to outlying villages that provide vaccinations for children under five, antenatal check-ups, health checks, and diagnosis and treatment of sick children and mothers. The mobile service also provides a range of health promotion activities to encourage local villagers to consider positive health changes.

In Papua New Guinea the ANCP project has a different focus, it aims to engage men to improve health and prevent gender-based violence.

The project, managed by Lavinia Magiar, is in its early development phase. This year the emphasis will be to design a male-focussed health intervention involving the training of facilitators to host local discussion groups to increase men’s knowledge about key health issues.

You can find out more about these ANCP-funded projects on Burnet’s website.