Reimagining Technical Assistance to Accelerate Maternal, Newborn & Child Health Outcomes

The Child Health Task Force was created in 2017 to advance the global integrated child health agenda and improve child health outcomes. The Task Force is comprised of donors, governments, and partners at global and country levels working to strengthen equitable and comprehensive child health programs focused on children aged 0 to 19 years in line with the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016-2030).

The Child Health Task Force has teamed up with Sonder Collective, a human-centered design (HCD) firm, to support the ministries of health (MOH) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Nigeria to use HCD to reimagine the current model of maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) technical assistance (TA) delivery.

To effectively deliver high-impact interventions and reduce maternal and child deaths, it is critical to review key global health investments to enhance health service delivery and reach the most vulnerable populations. Technical assitance is an example of a key input.  

This initiative, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., aims to strengthen local capabilities to implement integrated, evidence-based, MNCH and health system strengthening (HSS) interventions that will achieve the 2030 Survive, Thrive, and Transform Vision. 

The Task Force convenes global and country stakeholders to develop and implement approaches that address the current challenges in TA for MNCH/HSS, including:

• Gaps in coordination and consistency
• Alignment with national priorities
• Sustainable results

The use of HCD in the development of a redesigned TA model for MNCH/HHS emphasizes the initiative’s focus on the needs and motivations of the end users, those who are directly affected by TA at national and subnational levels.