Senegal has made great strides in improving the health and well-being of its people. But challenges persist. Maternal and newborn mortality are still high and, in some regions, health facilities continue to run out of essential medications and commodities. And gender inequities continue to threaten the potential of women and girls.
Neema is being implemented by a consortium of international and local partners led by IntraHealth International. CCP is responsible for leading the local institutional capacity building and social and behavior change communication (SBCC) components of the project. CCP will work to promote behavior change by providing the knowledge and resources people need to make informed, healthy decisions.
One major issue in Senegal is job dissatisfaction among health care providers, many of whom feel that community members do not understand the challenges and pressures they face in their work. To address the disconnect and foster a sense of understanding and appreciation of health care providers, CCP and its local partners are developing a system to select and publicly recognize model health care providers. To better understand the qualities that people expect in their providers and their health facilities – and to understand the challenges to offering quality services – CCP has conducted 14 community dialogue sessions between community leaders, health care providers and community members in seven regions across Senegal.
The feedback will be used to develop criteria for what makes a model health care provider and create a public campaign to acknowledge their achievements. By recognizing and promoting those who provide exceptional service to their clients, CCP also hopes to motivate other providers to improve their work behaviors.
During Neema, CCP will also be carrying out a longitudinal study looking at the effectiveness of certain social and behavior change interventions and is working closely with Senegal’s National Health Education and Information Service (SNEIPS) to build their capacity to develop and implement future social and behavior change programs in Senegal.
