Title: Healthy Mother Equals Healthy Baby (HM = HB)

Donor: GladStar Ministries with support from QWAAF, Save a Million Lives

Project TimeFrame: Since 2004 and ongoing

Partners:  International Health Care Center

Geographic Scope: Greater Accra Region

Project Goal / Objectives are: 

Decrease the level of malnutrition among program participants

  • Process: 100% of the mothers will be provided nourishment items once every month
  • Outcome/Impact: 75% of the mothers will have a hemoglobin level which is normal and satisfactory for her age and stage of life by the completion of the program

Advance the maternal health status of our program participants

  • Process: 100% of the participants will receive monthly counseling on how to effectively utilize health and nutrition information to aid themselves and their unborn child as well as routine medical treatment from the resident physician
  • Outcome/Impact: 75% of the mothers will espouse a body weight at a level that is not immensely detrimental to her safety and wellbeing by the completion of the program

  Improve the pregnancy outcomes of the mothers in our program

  • Process: 100% of the mothers will be given antiretroviral drug treatment in addition to primary prophylaxis for their child
  • Outcome/Impact: 75% of the mothers will give birth to healthy, communicably free children

Rational / Evidence for the need for the project: Nutrition plays a key role in the overall success of any HIV intervention. More so therefore for expecting mothers who are HIV positive. Realizing that some women find it difficult to get adequate food for themselves, their unborn child as well as children, WAAF with support from Gladstar Ministries and others has since 2004 embarked on the Healthy Mother equals Healthy Baby project that ensures that HIV expectant mother get access to nutritional food that helps both them and their babies.

Progress so far:

  • Over 70 HIV positive women assured of good nutrition during their pregnancy till their babies were 6 months old
  • 5% PMTCT success rate
  • 100% of babies born to women on the program have tested negative to HIV
  • Over 70 HIV positive women have had access to education on various HIV related topics
  • All women on the program have access to quality clinical care at WAAFs onsite clinic.