OTTAWA, November 4, 2014 – Today, Canadian organizations welcomed the news that the Government of Canada is launching a Call for Proposals valued at $370 million for eligible Canadian organizations who are working tirelessly to save lives of mothers, newborns and children. In an address to the Canadian Network for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health which is comprised of 80 Canadian organizations working in MNCH, the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, announced The Partnerships for Strengthening Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PSMNCH).
This Partnership will fund initiatives for up to five years that will help reduce maternal and child mortality and improve women’s and children’s health in specific regions around the world. Spanning the years from 2015-2020, the Partnership will focus on strengthening health systems, reducing the burden of disease, improving nutrition and ensuring accountability for results. This first call for proposals has a deadline of January 15, 2015 and is the first of several opportunities over the next five years that seek to accelerate results in Canada’s top development priority – maternal, newborn and child health.
The Canadian Network for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health applauds this announcement, which represents a five-fold increase in resources for Canadian organizations as compared with the Muskoka Initiative from 2010. The Canadian Network urges organizations and government to target the most vulnerable mothers, newborns and children, to ensure that those who have been marginalized are targeted with cost-effective and proven solutions.
Partners and those interested in this and future calls for proposals are encouraged to visit the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada website and subscribe to the RSS feeds to get the most up-to-date information.
Together, diverse Canadian stakeholders are working together on a unifying cause that has the power to transform individual lives, families, communities and nations. By seizing this opportunity and scaling up proven and effective measures, Canadian organizations are poised to dramatically accelerate progress for the world’s most vulnerable mothers, newborns and children.
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The Canadian Network for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health is a collaboration of over 80 organizations working to save lives of the most vulnerable women and children in over 1,000 regions around the world. For more information about the network, visit https://www.canwach.ca/.
For more information, media should contact:
Irene Whittaker-Cumming: 647-648-6219
