Project News

The project conducted intensive activities past three years in 11 focus districts in Ashanti Region: 1) trained 990 health care workers by integrating nutrition counseling services and respectful care with the basic maternal and child health handbook training, 2) provided post-training follow-up through monitoring and coaching at health facilities, and 3) supported the capacity building of district health teams to plan and implement Social, Behavioral Change and Communication (SBCC) activities at communities.

The project conducted a baseline survey and situation analysis in 2019 before the project activities. After two year's intensive activities, we carried out the end-line survey to identify the impact of the project activities. Preceding the data collection, the project resubmitted the request for the approval of the Ethical Review Committee. We also procured a local consultant team to carry out the data collection.(See Project News "Conducting Baseline and Status Survey in Ashanti Region")

Preparation for the end-line survey

Since the timing of the end-line survey was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was necessary to resubmit the survey proposal to the GHS Ethics Review Committee (ERC) for approval before the end-line survey. We started preparations in early 2021 and received approval from the ERC in July. We also worked on the procurement of local consultants with the JICA Ghana office for data collection and analysis.

Training of enumerators and pre-testing of the data collection tools

The selected local consultant team trained enumerators and pre-tested the data collection tools for the end-line survey at the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate from August 31 to September 2, 2021. The Project experts and GHS counterparts also attended the training to supervise the process.

Training of enumerators by the consultant

Conducting the Pretest of the survey tool

Data collection for the end-line survey

The consultant team organized 18 enumerators and surveyed 600 pregnant women and mothers (300 in three intervention districts and 300 in three control districts) in the Ashanti Region. The project experts, GHS counterparts, and project national staff supervised the progress of data collection. We checked whether the data collection were conducted following the data collection protocol, utilizing the interview tools and coding guideline appropriately, including the adherence to the COVID-19 risk mitigation measures at the data collection process.

Planned activities:

The consultant team will analyze the data and compile the end-line survey report. They will also compare the end-line result with the baseline survey conducted before the project activity for the impact analysis and prepare the impact analysis report.

We are eager to know the impact of the intensive interventions in focus districts and gain practical knowledge on how we shall scale up some good practices in model districts nationwide.

GHS counterpart is supporting enumerators for data entry

Enumerator conducting interview to a mother for data collection