Grounding the Work of Grassroots MCH Leaders in Storytelling.

Our Grassroots Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Initiative works to build the capacity of individuals and organizations in zip codes with persistently high infant mortality rates to bring about systems change that will improve maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes. Foundational to the Initiative is the training and mentoring of local women to become Grassroots MCH Leaders. We greatly honor that these women possess community expertise, essential to the Initiative's success. Our training equips them with strategies they can use to bring about changes in social, economic, political, and/or cultural systems that underlie poor birth outcomes. One impactful strategy they learn is the use of critical narrative intervention (CNI). This approach, grounded in the crafting and sharing of stories, complements statistical, behavioral, and medical approaches to improve MCH outcomes. This article describes the impact of CNI within the Grassroots MCH Initiative. Drawing from 14 Grassroots MCH Leaders' narratives, we present five significant maternal traumas and influential supports in their surrounding contexts. We explore the leaders' reflections on the impact of story development and dissemination. Our findings reveal that situating CNI within the context of a grassroots initiative provides opportunities for leaders to use their stories to advocate for systems change. Personal MCH narratives provide a powerful and respectful approach to public health promotion, as they highlight important systems-level failures that need to be addressed to sustainability improve MCH outcomes.

Meeting the Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Internally Displaced Persons in Ethiopia's Somali Region: A Qualitative Process Evaluation.

INTRODUCTION: Meeting the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is critical. Despite increased prioritization and coverage of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in humanitarian settings in recent decades, significant unmet needs remain. In Ethiopia, there are more than 2 million IDPs, an estimated 40% of whom have unmet need for modern contraceptives. To address this, EngenderHealth implemented a model of SRHR programming in Ethiopia's Somali region. We share the lessons learned from this project to improve access to SRH services among IDPs. METHODS: In 2021, an independent research team implemented a qualitative process evaluation among 13 key informant interviews (KIIs) with health system actors, local government partners, and organizations, and 4 focus group discussions (FGDs) with community members and community health volunteers. The team selected participants purposively following the maximum variation sampling technique and analyzed the data in NVivo 12. The team used KII and FGD guides to explore and understand what was implemented, which stakeholders were engaged in the processes and how, what was achieved, and the barriers and facilitators in implementation. RESULTS: Contributions to project achievements included strong partnerships and stakeholder engagement, an enabling environment for SRHR, improving health worker capacity, and flexibility and adaptability. Challenges included a fragile security situation, retention of providers, and difficulty in accessing gender-based violence services, exacerbated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. CONCLUSION: Our article offers guidance for organizations and government entities seeking to design and implement SRHR programs in humanitarian settings. Findings highlight the importance of prioritizing SRHR programming in IDP settings and illustrate adaptable activities to assist with project implementation and minimize operational challenges.

Hidden within a pandemic: how is international funding supporting mental health during COVID-19?

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is bringing to light the long-neglected area of mental health. Current evidence demonstrates an increase in mental, neurological and substance use conditions globally. Although long-established as a leading cause of disease burden, mental health has been historically grossly underfunded. This analysis seeks to demonstrate the extent to which funding for mental health has been prioritised within the international COVID-19 response. Methods: The authors analysed the development and humanitarian funding through data provided by the International Aid Transparency Initiative. Project-level COVID-19 data from January 2020 to March 2021 were reviewed for mental health relevance. Relevant projects were then classified into categories based on populations of concern for mental health and the degree of COVID-19 involvement. Financial information was assessed through project transaction data in US Dollars. Results: Of the 8319 projects provided, 417 were mental health relevant. Mental health-relevant funding accounted for less than 2% of all COVID-19 development and humanitarian funding. Target populations which received the majority of mental health relevant funding were children and humanitarian populations, and 46% of funding went towards activities which combined COVID-19 responses with general humanitarian actions. Over half of mental health relevant funding was received by ten countries, and ten donor organisations provided almost 90% of funding. Conclusion: This analysis shows that the international donor community is currently falling short in supporting mental health within and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic continues, sustainable country-led awareness, treatment, and prevention for mental, neurological and substance use conditions must be prioritised.