IntraHealth International’s work in Malawi recently garnered national attention when the Deputy Minister of Health Felton Mulli recognized the contributions of the Southern African Human Capacity Development Coalition in helping the government make progress towards Millennium Development Goal 5, of reducing maternal mortality by 75% by 2015. 

One of the main goals of the Coalition is to better equip health care workers with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to counsel women and couples on family planning and contraception. This counseling enables women to chose if and when to get pregnant—a crucial step in preventing pregnancy-related deaths.

To guide its work, the Coalition developed a new and adaptable family planning reference guide that offers lesson plans for health workers on how to discuss family planning, including permanent contraceptive methods, and protection from sexually transmitted infections. The guide also offers lessons on how gender dynamics affect decisions about family planning. The Coalition also trained doctors and nurses to perform vasectomies and insert contraceptive implants, and collaborated with community leaders and other organizations to increase the interest in and demand for these services.

The Southern African Human Capacity Development Coalition is led by IntraHealth International and funded by USAID.