Uganda Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Activity (USAID MCHN)

FHI 360 works to improve maternal and child health and nutrition outcomes in Uganda through the Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Activity (MCHN), funded by USAID. The project (“USAID MCHN,” for short) focuses on strengthening service delivery systems and governance at the national and local levels. It provides technical assistance to various government structures that coordinate the implementation of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) and nutrition programs in public and private health care facilities in Kampala, the country’s capital.

FHI 360 leads a consortium of partners on the project, comprising EnCompass LLC, Makerere University School of Public Health, Save the Children, and the Uganda Healthcare Federation and collaborates with the government of Uganda, private sector entities, other USAID projects, United Nations agencies, and key stakeholders to implement program activities.

In partnership with the Uganda Ministry of Health and Office of the Prime Minister, USAID MCHN has successfully developed, disseminated and promoted the use and application of various maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition-related policies, guidelines, training materials, tools and high-impact interventions to improve maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition outcomes at various levels of the health system. In addition, the project has advanced the routine use of maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition data to inform policy, decision-making, resource allocation and service delivery improvements.

In Kampala, USAID MCHN has, in close collaboration with various health service delivery structures, contributed to significant uptake in maternal, newborn and child health, postpartum family planning, and maternal and child nutrition services using a data-driven, systems-strengthening approach in both public and private health care facilities.

USAID MCHN has also partnered with the government of Uganda to respond to COVID-19 and Ebola virus disease outbreaks in the country.

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A Ugandan mother’s fight against malnutrition

When baby Troy was 8 months old, he was so malnourished that he was on the brink of death. His mother took him to a local health clinic, where he was seen by a USAID MCHN nutritionist. The intervention reset his chances for a long and healthy life. Learn more about how USAID MCHN’s nutrition interventions help thousands of children and pregnant women in Uganda.

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