On 1 April 2019, The MENTOR Initiative and a consortium of international NGO partners began a four-year, £14 million programme funded by the UK Government.
This is the third phase of a consortium which has been running since 2015. This phase sees MENTOR continuing as Consortium Lead Agency, providing health and WASH interventions and working with its long-time health partner International Medical Corps UK (IMC UK) as well as more recently with Action Against Hunger.
Together, the Consortium continues to address acute and protracted humanitarian health needs, including associated WASH support, in two of the most vulnerable and conflict-affected prefectures in the Central African Republic – Ouham-Pendé and Basse Kotto.
Phase III of the FCDO-funded Consortium builds upon the collaborative work of Phases I and II by harnessing the technical and operational expertise and experience of all partners. This ensures that through the phase more than 374,800 people will be able to access quality health services for life threatening diseases, in an environment where healthcare would, without this intervention, be virtually non-existent.
The life-saving assistance covers essential health care provision through a combination of community, primary and secondary levels, maximising the access of affected communities to basic healthcare services.
There is a particular focus on child and maternal healthcare; the treatment of malaria, acute respiratory infection and diarrhoeal diseases; malnutrition screening and treatment; and the promotion of vaccinations by providing logistical support to the Ministry of Health teams.
Community health workers and female focal points raise awareness of disease prevention and the availability of health services. Referral services for severe disease cases at the community level, which need urgent secondary level care, are being enhanced and strengthened. The Consortium provides an integrated approach with the inclusion of essential WASH activities to support health facilities. Combined health and hygiene promotion at the community level, together with targeted pilot projects, are designed to promote construction and the use of household latrines.
The co-operation between the partners allows the consortium, as a whole, to learn from the shared experiences and strengths of each partner to deliver a more coherent response. The consortium is therefore well placed to work with and help to develop the Ministry of Health’s national strategy as it progresses.
MENTOR also runs a number of other programmes in the Central African Republic – read about them here
To find out more about the work of our current partners in CAR, please visit their websites:
IMC: https://internationalmedicalcorps.org/car
Action Against Hunger: https://www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk/
