The Sunyani West Community Foundation (SWCF) in collaboration with Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF) has initiated a move to improve maternal and child health services within the Sunyani West Municipality in the Bono region.

The two non-profit organisations will reach the most remote communities in Sunyani West through mobile health clinics and family life education in schools.

The initiative will care for women from 15 to 49 years and children below 6 years with health services alongside networking and convergence with government systems as well as provisions supplemented with behaviour change communication.

The Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sunyani West Community Foundation, Martin Djan, disclosed this at a meeting with the Sunyani West Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Kusi Boadum at Odumase.

“Maternal and Child Health Interventions (MaCHI) project seek to improve the health status of women and children through improved access and quality reproductive and child health services with focused attention to the most vulnerable sections in the municipality,” he explained.

He said although the government’s strategy to strengthen the health system and create an enabling environment where skilled health professionals provide and make reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services accessible to all is laudable more action needs to take place.

He stated, “it is for this reason our initiative will help promote positive health-seeking behaviour in the communities particularly for the age group of 15 to 49 years”.

Mr Djan stressed the importance of strengthening partnerships and community engagement in a holistic approach not only in the containment of effort but also in actions to maintain the delivery of critical maternal, newborn and child health as well as nutrition services, especially to deprived communities.

The Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Project Coordinator of the Ghana Community Foundation Development Project, Raphael Godlove Ahenu, explained community development foundations makes it easy for community members to put into action their charitable intentions in the community without depending on the central government.

He underscored the need to encourage the formation of community development foundations across all districts in Ghana to help accelerate development since the government alone cannot shoulder all the developmental needs of the citizens.

The MCE for Sunyani West, Hon Kusi Boadum, commended the foundation for the initiative and promised the assembly will support the programme.

“It is a good thing to see non-profit organisations such as yours trying to alleviate government’s burden of universal access to quality health care delivery especially for women and children under 5,” he stated.