National Evaluation Platform Approach for Accountability in Women’s and Children’s Health

This project supports the National Evaluation Platform approach, which seeks to make maternal and child health and nutrition programs and policies more accountable, effective, equitable, and evidence-based. The main goal of the Platform approach is to develop central, comprehensive databases that house quality data on maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition. Governments and development partners then analyze and use this data to make evidence-based decisions in planning effective, high quality maternal and child health and nutrition initiatives that meet the needs of populations most at risk. The Platform approach addresses the challenges of traditional program evaluation methods and offers a cost-effective solution that gives national governments better tools to make decisions about their own health systems. It also helps development partners harmonize their efforts in planning effective programs. Project activities include: (i) developing a database containing recent, quality information on maternal and child health and nutrition activities and results that is updated annually; (ii) conducting data quality reviews and qualitative studies on gender differences in access to or quality of health services; (iii) mentoring and training in-country staff in data quality assessment, data management, analysis and communication of results; (iv) developing guidelines for application of the National Evaluation Platform in other countries; and (v) sharing findings with global programs seeking to increase accountability for women and children’s health and nutrition. The Institute for International programs at Johns Hopkins University works in partnership with African research institutions.