Carter Center Joins Government of Sudan to Mark Milestone in Maternal and Child Health Initiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 11, 2016
Contact: 404-420-5108, [email protected]

ATLANTA…In a ceremony today in Khartoum, Sudan, The Carter Center joined officials from the Sudanese Federal Ministry of Health to mark an official handover of supplies and equipment to improve the country's maternal and child health.

Since 2014, as part of a Sudanese Public Health Training Initiative, the Center has assisted the Federal Ministry of Health to build the skills and training capacity of frontline health workers to meet the health needs of mothers and children in rural areas.

"I congratulate all staff and technical experts, leaders, and donors who are making a real impact to improve maternal and child health in Sudan," said Stephen Blount, M.D., MPH, director of the initiative at The Carter Center.  "They are strengthening the ability of Sudan's dedicated health professionals to better serve the rural communities."

The Center has worked with the Sudanese government to assess 49 health science training institutions, recommend key updates to midwifery and community health curricula, and train more than 90 health science educators. The ceremony today marked the official handover of donated supplies and equipment to serve eight institutions of the Academy of Health Sciences and Schools of Midwifery as well as the Continuing Professional Development Centers. Equipment includes skills lab models, mannequins, desktop computers, laptops, sound systems, printers, stabilizers, electric connectors, projectors, photocopiers, plasma screens, and white boards.

The initiative plans to train health science faculty, midwives and community health workers. The ultimate aim is to improve the learning environment of 50 health science institutions through customized training, revised curricula, and equipment upgrades.

According to World Bank indicator estimates, the maternal mortality ratio for Sudan in 2015 was 311 per 100,000 child births, with a decreasing trend over the years. Similarly, child mortality was reduced to 70 per 1,000 live births. The availability and accessibility of skilled frontline health workers is a priority in strategies adopted by the government of Sudan to improve the health of mothers and their children.

The Carter Center has worked since 1986 with the people of Sudan to help resolve conflict, negotiate peace, increase crop production, and improve health. After an initial focus on working with farmers, the Center expanded into additional programs, including the prevention or elimination of Guinea worm disease, river blindness, and trachoma.

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"Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope."
A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care.  The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.