Research initiatives intended to produce evidence on best practices for deploying and maintaining community midwives, including but not limited to system-related issues of deliveries at home vs at birthing stations,incentives and role of incentives, public/private partnerships, funding schemes for the poor, alternative management models for BHU/RHCs, referrals, relations between CMWs and Dais, and research on determinants of success by CMWs.

For possible examples on the topic click here.

Advocacy proposals initiatives to identify, guide and catalyze steps needed to scale up, at national and sub-national levels, one or more of the five “best maternal and newborn health practices” addressed in the “Karachi Declaration” of October 1-2, 2009. Concept papers should address barriers to implementation, strategies/frameworks for scale-up activities, development of capabilities for implementation, catalyzing the implementation of required activities, ensuring resources, etc., at Federal, Provincial and District levels. Grantees should creatively involve the capabilities of the Ministry of Health and other government/non-government stakeholders in implementing these activities. Research may be needed to clarify specific issues.  However, these projects cannot be “research only” projects: they must be incorporated into a larger effort to put the “best practices” into action. 

For possible examples on the topic click here.

For the complete text of the Karachi Declaration 2009 click here