title: MaiMwana women's groups: a community mobilisation intervention to improve mother and child health and reduce mortality in rural Malawi.
abstract: This article presents a detailed description of a community mobilization intervention involving women's groups in Mchinji District, Malawi. The intervention was implemented between 2005 and 2010. The intervention aims to build the capacities of communities to take control of the mother and child health issues that affect them. To achieve this it comprises trained local female facilitators establishing groups and using a manual, participatory rural appraisal tools and picture cards to guide them through a community action cycle to identify and implement solutions to mother and child health problems. Significant resource inputs include salaries for facilitators and supervisors, and training, equipment and materials to support their work with groups. It is hypothesized that the groups will catalyse community collective action to address mother and child health issues and improve the health and reduce the mortality of mothers and children. Their impact, implementation and cost-effectiveness have been rigorously evaluated through a randomized controlled trial design. The results of these evaluations will be reported in 2011.
authors: Centre for International Health and Development, UCL, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford St, London WC1N 1EH.
authors: Mikey
authors: M
authors: Rosato
authors: Charles
authors: C
authors: Mwansambo
authors: Sonia
authors: S
authors: Lewycka
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Kazembe
authors: Tambosi
authors: T
authors: Phiri
authors: Florida
authors: F
authors: Malamba
authors: Marie-Louise
authors: ML
authors: Newell
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Osrin
authors: Anthony
authors: A
authors: Costello
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D019058:Community Networks / Q000592:standards*; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008295:Malawi; D008297:Male; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D008429:Maternal Welfare; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education*; D016730:Program Development; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012424:Rural Population; D055815:Young Adult