Global Presence

The maternal and infant health situation in Georgia is dire. Plagued by low family incomes and inadequate health care facilities and infrastructure, Georgia's mothers and families struggle with maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, a high prevalence of abortions, and difficulty in paying the modest cost of health services. The burden that Georgian families face is coupled with insufficient government funding for health care, inadequately trained health care providers, and a recently decentralized health system that has resulted in a widespread lack of fundamental management capabilities.

In September 2000, MSH and several partner organizations began work on the USAID-funded Georgia Safe Motherhood Initiative (SMI). Beginning with an analysis of the problems Georgia faces in two districts of the eastern region of Kakheti, the project will design and implement an approach to improve the awareness and well being of expectant mothers and their infants. The underlying goal is to achieve improved health outcomes of pregnancy and childbirth, measured through reduced maternal mortality and complications and reduced perinatal mortality.

The SMI will focus on improving the accessibility and quality of maternal care services at the rayon (district) and community levels, enhancing the lines of communication between maternal care providers and their clients, raising the awareness of women and their families of lifestyle factors affecting maternal health, increasing utilization of antenatal and postnatal care, and expanding the involvement and management capacity of local governments and NGOs to address maternal and perinatal health issues. By identifying the capabilities and resources of local NGOs, MSH seeks to encourage and develop sustainable local organizations that can support maternal health and lead to a greater sense of involvement within the participating communities.