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Safe Motherhood Action Groups, or SMAGs, are community volunteers trained on messages and practices that lead to safer pregnancies for the women in their villages. The concept of using Safe Motherhood Action Groups (SMAGs) is emerging to be useful in referral of mothers to health facilities for antenatal care, delivery, postnatal care or in case of maternal and neonatal complication without delay. 

Launched as a national programme in 2008, SMAGs are a key part of the Zambian government’s safe motherhood policy response. Safe Motherhood Action Groups in Zambia are helping to change health-seeking behaviour in favour of improved maternal and newborn health.

JOICFP (Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning) in collaboration with PPAZ (Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia) has trained 90 SMAGS in Mpongwe District. This is under the “Protecting Lives of Pregnant Women in Africa – Zambia” project which is been implemented in four African countries and supported by Takeda Global CSR, the 15th biggest Pharmaceutical company in the world based in Japan.

In his opening remarks, Mpongwe District Health Director Dr. Peter Mulenga, reminded the participants that it’s the government’s effort to reduce maternal and neonatal mortalities. He urged the participants to work extra hard to help reduce home deliveries and sensitize the communities on maternal danger signs in order to prevent maternal and neonatal deaths. Dr. Mulenga thanked PPAZ and JOICFP for embarking on this project in the district.

90 SMAGS have so far been trained from four project sites in Mpongwe namely Mwinuna RHC, Kasamba RHC, Chisapa and Luankuni Health Posts. The other 90 SMAGS are yet to be trained for Kapiri district. A total of 180 SMAGS will be trained under the Takeda Global CSR supported project.

Dr. Peter Mulenga addressing the participants during the SMAG training.

SMAGS demonstrating maternal danger signs in a song.

‘Protecting the Lives of Pregnant Women in Africa- Zambia’ to benefit the community of Mwinuna in Mpongwe.

Maternal mortality constitutes a major public health problem in developing countries. Although Zambia has been experiencing a decline in maternal mortality ratio (MMR) at a minimal rate, MMR still remains high, at 398 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births.

Despite much forward momentum with regard to enhancing health services, Zambia continues to face high levels of maternal mortality. The majority of maternal deaths arise from complications that are not predicted or prevented; care for these conditions must be readily available to all women. Therefore, delivery at a health facility becomes crucial for effective intervention to women during childbirth.

It is in this regard that JOCIFP and PPAZ are implementing a 5-year project termed ‘Protecting the Lives of Pregnant Women in Africa-Zambia’ which will benefit 7 facilities on the Copperbelt and Central Provinces. The project is running from January 2018 to December 2022 and is aimed at improving quality MNCH and ASRH services through capacity building and enhancing behavioural change in the project sites communities.

Mwinuna Rural Health Centre in Mpongwe is one of the health centres which is going to benefit from this project. It is located about 68 km from Mpongwe DHO. It has a catchment population of 5046 and had 33 facility deliveries in 2016 as opposed to 188 expected deliveries. The low number in facility deliveries is attributed to long distances people have to cover for them to reach the facility and lack of a mothers waiting shelter.

However, the local steering committee members have put construction of a maternity waiting house as one of their goals to help overcome the challenge of distance and consequently increase facility deliveries. The construction of the waiting house will be done through mobilising resources within the community and will be spearheaded by the local steering committee.

Speaking during the orientation meeting, Mr. Sinkala Carcious, a teacher and member of the local steering committee thanked PPAZ and JOICFP for “bringing this project to Mwinuna, a place that is hard to reach and neglected”. “This project will help reduce home deliveries and birth related complications including death”.