Capacity building for mother and child health (MCH) centers, training of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and community health workers (CHWs), awareness rising on HIV and AIDS and other STIs and eradication of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/FGC) will be given prominence. MCH centers mostly offer clinical services but lack the human resource to offer comprehensive health education. The latter is important as a preventative strategy. Maternal and child mortality for example can be reduced if women (and their spouses) are sensitized on immunization, personal hygiene, nutrition, safe motherhood and prevention of mother to child transmission of
HIV and on the spread of STI.
Health education is usually offered during ante-natal care (ANC) but MCH has few staff already burdened with urgent medical cases. Services in malaria, HIV and TB will be integrated. Since Solutions For Somalia has no health facilities, we will work with MCH and private health workers especially in training CHWs/health educators, education sector. We need to combine efforts in improving this critical sector as a better education system will ensure a progressive, employable youth in future. It also lays a visionary organization for the cross-cutting issues of human rights, democracy, good governance, and gender sensitivity.