$50,000 Grant to One Heart World-Wide for Expansion in Nepal

​Transparent Fish Fund granted $50,000 to One Heart World-Wide to fund the implementation of their Network of Safety Model in the district of Bhojpur for Phase 1 from November 2015-December 2016.

Network of Safety

One Heart developed the Network of Safety model with these features:

• Reduces preventable deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth
• Helps vulnerable indigenous populations in remote rural areas
• Improves the health and wellbeing of pregnant women and newborns who may not otherwise have access to medical services
• Establishes a community-based network involving local stakeholders
• Equips and staffs health facilities
• Educates local health providers
• Effective and replicable
• Sustainable through integration of local resources

Proven Effective

We know that this model is an effective approach to meet our goal of significantly reducing neonatal and maternal mortality rates because we have seen tremendous outcomes in the two districts where we have fully implemented our model.
 

1. In the district of Baglung, which had 31 maternal and 301 neonatal annual deaths in 2010 before One Heart’s presence (out of 7,000 pregnancies per year), there were no maternal deaths and only 8 neonatal deaths in 2014.
2. The extremely remote district of Dolpa had 14 maternal and 91 neonatal annual deaths in 2010 before One Heart’s presence (out of 1,000 pregnancies per year). There was 1 maternal death and only 6 neonatal deaths in 2014. 

Anticipated Grant Outcomes

​Based on these impressive results from the first two districts in Nepal, we are confident that we can reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Bhojpur by at least 50% within the first three years of implementing our model there.
 
Other anticipated outcomes after a three year implementation period include:
· 15% increase in women receiving appropriate antenatal and prenatal care
· 10% increase in deliveries with a skilled birth attendant
· 12% increase in facility-based delivery 
· 50% reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality

Use of Funds

The $50,000 grant will be used to partially fund the creation of a network of functioning facilities, and will assist with provision of medical equipment, infrastructure, and staffing. We will upgrade 8 health posts into functional birthing centers.
 
Funds will cover:

• The training of skilled birth attendants to staff the upgraded birthing centers to ensure that all women who deliver are attended by someone properly trained
• The actual upgrades of the birthing centers (construction and equipment costs) to ensure that all the women have a safe place to deliver
• Program staff salaries. There will be 3 staff members based in Bhojpur. They will set up the training, assess the birthing center, supervise the upgrades, implement quality control  program and doing monitoring and evaluation
• Travel costs for the staff to collect data and implement program. 

Case Story: Skilled Birth Attendant Rani

​Rani is a Skilled Birth Attendant from the Salbaas birthing center who had provided birthing services in Chainpur, Salbaas. During the earthquakes, all of the proper supplies and equipment were buried and Rani had been conducting the deliveries without even the most basic equipment. Imagine trying to give birth under a tarp without any sort of ventilation, where random visitors and passerby are constantly watching you. Definitely not ideal, but the mothers agreed that it was better than nothing. This was the situation in Chainpur, Salbaas, before the One Heart World-Wide team was able to install a proper birthing tent there. After talking to Rani, we installed the tent in a location she agreed to. By the end of the day, we had not only installed the tent but also installed basic equipment necessary for a safe delivery. That very night, the new birthing tent welcomed the first of many babies into the world. A group of locals approached the tent assuming that we were health workers. Among them was a multigravida experiencing labor pains. She was immediately brought into the tent and examined by Rani, who was able to help this mother conduct a normal delivery with the help of the light from the solar suitcases, basic equipment, and supplies in the tent. 

Rani and this mother’s experience have been echoed throughout both Dhading and Sindhupalchok districts, along with many additional locations that have experienced severe damage and are still reeling from the earthquakes. The tents that the One Heart World-Wide team has been installing, while not permanent, provide a space for safe deliveries while the long-term renovation plans are being finalized. 

Field Report Q1 2016

One Heart World-Wide’s overall target for 2016 is to fully and/or partially upgrade and equip 15 to 20 birthing centers, train 30 to 40 Skilled Birth Attendants, and train approximately 780 community outreach providers. They have accomplished a lot in the recent months. Here are some highlights:
November 2015

• Conducted a need assessment for the district
• Reviewed the secondary data

January 2016

• Set up field office
• Hired a district coordinator, a training supervisor, and an administration coordinator

February 2016

• The Network of Safety program was formally launched with the local government and local stakeholders.
• They have installed 15 solar suitcases in existing birthing centers. This allows the local Skilled Birth Attendants to provide a safe delivery, especially during the nighttime.
• They have identified 9 women from respective birthing centers in the district that have been admitted to attend the 2-month training, conducted by the Nepali government within their national SBA training program. Their training will begin shortly. One Heart is not only sponsoring their training but also providing them with the necessary equipment.
  
• One Heart has assessed 10 birthing centers in the district that they will upgrade and equip in 2016 in collaboration with the local Village Development Committee.