Care Group TAG Care Group TAG HighlightsHighlights

Melanie MorrowMelanie Morrow

Director of MCH ProgramsDirector of MCH Programs

World ReliefWorld Relief

With input and selected slides from other CG TAG With input and selected slides from other CG TAG participantsparticipants

December 9, 2010December 9, 2010

Description of a Care Description of a Care GroupGroup

They are different from typical mother’s groups in that each volunteer is responsible for regularly visiting 10-15 of her neighbors, sharing what she has learned and facilitating behavior change at the household level.  . 

A Care Group is a group of 10-15 volunteer, community-based health educators who regularly meet together with project staff for training and supervision. 

Description (cont.)Description (cont.)

Care Groups create a Care Groups create a multiplying effectmultiplying effect to equitably reach every beneficiary to equitably reach every beneficiary household with interpersonal behavior household with interpersonal behavior change communication. change communication. 

They also provide the structure for a They also provide the structure for a

community health information community health information systemsystem that reports on new pregnancies, that reports on new pregnancies, births and deaths detected during home births and deaths detected during home visits visits

World Relief World Relief Mozambique Vurhonga 2 Mozambique Vurhonga 2

Care Group Structure Care Group Structure 26 Health Animators (paid)

173 Care Groups of 10-15 Volunteers 10 Households

per volunteer (24,200 total HH reached)

5 WR Staff Supervisors

Transactions of the Royal Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Society of Tropical

Medicine & Hygiene Medicine & Hygiene 20072007

Unicef Unicef State of the World’s State of the World’s

Children 2008Children 2008

Countries where Care Countries where Care Groups Groups

have been implementedhave been implemented BoliviaBolivia BurundiBurundi CambodiaCambodia DRCDRC EthiopiaEthiopia GuatemalaGuatemala IndonesiaIndonesia KenyaKenya

LiberiaLiberia MalawiMalawi MozambiqueMozambique

** NigerNiger PhilippinesPhilippines RwandaRwanda UgandaUganda ZambiaZambia* First Care Group Project in 1995, World Relief

Mozambique

Care Group projects Care Group projects serving serving

populations > 1 Million populations > 1 Million people people

Food for the Hungry Mozambique Food for the Hungry Mozambique Cost per beneficiary per year: Cost per beneficiary per year: $2.78$2.78

Kabeho Mwana EIP consortium in Kabeho Mwana EIP consortium in Rwanda using modified approach Rwanda using modified approach (Concern Worldwide, The IRC and (Concern Worldwide, The IRC and World Relief)World Relief)

World Relief Mozambique SCIP World Relief Mozambique SCIP

Key Messages Key Messages from Care Group TAG from Care Group TAG

Care Groups are not meant to replace Care Groups are not meant to replace CHWs but they provide a means to CHWs but they provide a means to extend the reach of CHWs to achieve extend the reach of CHWs to achieve high levels of household level high levels of household level behavior change associated with behavior change associated with mortality reduction. mortality reduction.

Implementation of Care Groups at Implementation of Care Groups at scale requires partnership with MOH, scale requires partnership with MOH, NGOs and communities. NGOs and communities.

CareGroupInfo.orgCareGroupInfo.org