Empowering Local Communities to Improve Children's Health
in Ten Latin American Countries:

Technical-Cooperation Project Supported
by the American Red Cross

Local projects
(in Spanish)

Program Framework Topic: Children’s Health-Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) Strategy

Project Purpose: To improve the health and quality of life of children less than five years of age and their families in selected high-risk areas in ten countries.

In December 2000, an agreement was signed between the American Red Cross (ARC) and WHO/PAHO to establish a regional partnership in support of the Healthy Children: Goal 2002 Initiative. The innovative five-year (2001-2005) Regional Community IMCI Project is designed (1) to increase the capacity of ten Red Cross National Societies of the Americas Region to provide quality, sustainable community IMCI services to children in vulnerable communities and (2) to increase the ARC capacity to support the world-wide Red Cross Movement in providing quality, sustainable services to children in vulnerable communities. This existing project maximizes the comparative advantage of the American Red Cross organizational capacity, as well as the structure of the Red Cross Movement with an unparalleled network of volunteers. The key project element is the financing of community IMCI projects implemented by Operating National Societies of the Red Cross (ONSs) with support from community leaders, PAHO, UNICEF, Ministries of Health, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Support from UNF will build upon the Regional Community IMCI Project to

1. promote a set of household behaviors (WHO/UNICEF 16 Key Family Practices).
2. Intensify community implementation.
3. Develop a long-distance learning community IMCI course.
4. Create capacity for problem solving at the community level.
5. Identify costs for community interventions.
6. Document Project experiences to go to scale at the national level and share success stories and experiences with other regions.
7. Sustain activities at the local level.

Focusing on the development and implementation of well-designed, technically-sound community projects will improve child health care and empower communities with the knowledge and skills to:

1. prevent common childhood diseases,
2. recognize illness, and
3. care for healthy as well as sick children.

The UNF Project will define new areas of work, catalyze initiatives, and build alliances with new cooperating partners in Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. It will also complement and build upon the ongoing ARC/PAHO Regional Community IMCI Project in all ten countries (Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua).

Duration: Two years

Start Date: To be determinded (upon receipt of funds)

Docket Number: Tranche X

Location: Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua

Lead UN Implementation Agency: World Health Organization (Regional Office for the Americas)

Non-UN Executing Partners

• American Red Cross International Services
• Operating National Societies of the Red Cross in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador
• World Bank
• Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health
• Ministries of Health-Government of Bolivia, Government of Peru, Government of Ecuador
• Non-governmental organizations (CORE Group, CARE, Project Hope, PCI, Catholic Relief Services, etc.)
• Other USAID-supported projects (to be determined)

UNFIP/UNF Project Code: WHO-RLA-01-223

Profiles of Nine Local Projects in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru (in Spanish)