Access to and use of life-saving commodities across the reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) continuum of care has been limited due to financial constraints, sociocultural issues and lack of demand by health care providers and clients.
Getting Started
A great place to start is to review basic background information and resources on the “Life-Saving Commodities”.
Key information and supporting resources to provide a foundation of knowledge in demand generation and behavior change communication can be found under “The Power of Demand Generation”.
Animated Overview
The purpose of the animated infographic is to creatively walk practitioners though the content available on the I-Kit. The animation serves as an overall guide to the I-Kit, as well as a general how-to on use of the various sections to meet user-goals.
Demand generation increases awareness of, and demand for, health products or services among a particular target audience through social and behavior change communication and social marketing techniques.
In 2010, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health called on the global community to save 16 million lives by 2015 and achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 & 5 – to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health. The strategy highlighted the impact that a lack of access to life-saving commodities has on the health of women and children around the world, which catalyzed the formation of the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women’s and Children’s Health (“the Commission”). The Commission – part of the Every Woman, Every Child (EWEC) movement – was formed to increase access to life-saving medicines and health supplies for the world’s most vulnerable people.
The Commission identified a priority list of 13 overlooked life-saving commodities across the reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) ‘continuum of care’ that, if more widely accessed and properly used, could save the lives of more than 6 million[1] women and children.
Although demand generation is a persistent weakness across all the commodities, this I-Kit focuses on 9 priority commodities most ripe for demand generation activities: Contraceptive implants, emergency contraceptive pills, female condom, misoprostol, magnesium sulfate, chlorhexidine, ORS, zinc and amoxicillin. Resources for the other commodities may be added in the future, depending on country needs.
Here you’ll find an index off all of the resources referred to in the implementation kit.
Email: info@healthcommcapacity.org
