Support for Health

Building the capacity of local governments, organizations, and health care workers to provide quality care is critical to developing sustainable health delivery systems in the developing world.

Ten years ago IMA made a leap of faith in a collaboration with the Protestant Church of Congo (ECC) to jointly manage the SANRU III (rural health) project which extended basic health services to some of the most rural and isolated parts of one of Africa’s largest countries.  In 2006 the success engendered by SANRU III was recognized by USAID’s awarding of Project AXxes to an IMA-led consortium in eastern Congo.  In less than a decade, the US government has invested $85 million in IMA work in Congo, a reflection of USAID’s commitment to IMA’s co-managed basic health service delivery and systems strengthening concept. 

Capacity building has many components.  Training of staff is essential but it is equally important to process and utilize information.  Data from health zones in Congo on disease prevalence, vaccination rates and training is an invaluable tool in planning and budgeting. 

The success of these capacity building efforts has led to IMA’s expansion into other projects to develop health care delivery systems in DR Congo and other nations, such as Southern Sudan.

Capacity building is not just for professionals at the top of the medical ladder; great emphasis has been placed in recent years on efforts to train local health care workers and educate community members on how to protect their health, especially in areas of maternal and child health, safe birthing, and newborn care.