Stakeholders meet on USAID's BCS project for MDGs

Accra, Feb. 8, GNA - Stakeholders under the Behaviour Change Support Project (BCSP) that promotes the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals health targets, met in Accra on Tuesday to brainstorm among other issues on the implementation of the second year of the project. The BCSP, a four-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supported project, is managed by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) with CARE and PLAN Internationa= l in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service (GHS). It is being implemented basically in communities in the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in three regions, namely the Greater Accra, Central and Western regions The meeting created a platform that enabled the participants to devise means of jointly mobilising district support for the implementation of the project. Giving an overview of the BCSP, Mr George Baba Ajaligbong of Care Ghan= a International, one of the managers of the project, said the targets for first year, especially in the area of community mobilisation and education, were exceeded.

The project covers five thematic areas, which are: Maternal, Neonatal, Child Health and Family Planning; Malaria; Nutrition; Water and Sanitation and Infrastructure and Capacity Building.

Mr Ajaligbong said for year one, 490 communities in the three regions were reached during, which a number of activities were undertaken. The activities included organisation of baseline studies, strategic development workshop, development of core Community Action Kit and integrated materials, implementation of regional specific campaigns as well as family planning and malaria campaigns.

For year two, Mr Ajaligbong said, the work plan for the partners would include selection of 25 communities, organisation of district and sub district advocacy meetings, setting terms of reference for Non Governmental Organisations, carrying out Social Analysis and Action for partners and the formation of networks in sub districts The Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), is one of three selected health NGOs selected in the Greater Accra to implement the BCS project in the second year.

Mrs Cecilia Lodonu-Senoo, Executive Director of the HFFG, said the organisation was implementing the project as a sub recipient in partnership with Care International Ghana which is the principal recipient of the funds from USAIDS. She said HFFG has the capacity given its track record in implementing similar projects in the country and noted that it was currently working wit= h the Ghana Health Service on the MDGs. 8 Feb. 11

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