Open Call for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Services (Madagascar)

Deadline: 15-Sep-2026

UNICEF, under the technical leadership of Madagascar’s Ministry of Public Health, is seeking qualified partners to strengthen maternal, neonatal and child health, nutrition, community health, and emergency preparedness across targeted regions of Madagascar. The initiative focuses on improving healthcare quality, strengthening community health systems, preventing supply shortages, expanding equitable access, and building resilient health services in vulnerable and shock-prone areas.

About the Initiative

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has issued a call for expressions of interest to support the delivery and strengthening of health and nutrition services in Madagascar. The initiative is being implemented under the technical leadership of the Ministry of Public Health of Madagascar, with UNICEF serving as the issuing agency. The programme seeks to improve the quality, accessibility, and resilience of maternal, neonatal and child health services while strengthening nutrition, community health, emergency preparedness, and health-system governance. Key Objectives The initiative aims to strengthen health services through several interconnected areas, including: Improved referral systems can help ensure that patients receive appropriate care at the correct level of the health system. Governance and Data Management The initiative will strengthen health-system governance and the use of data for decision-making.

Partners may support

District-level planning. Routine data analysis. Performance monitoring. Identification of service gaps. Corrective action planning. Tracking completion of corrective measures. Strengthening district resilience. Data will be used to identify weaknesses and guide practical improvements in service delivery. Performance Measurement Programme performance will be assessed using baseline information and agreed indicators.

Key indicators may include:

Prenatal consultation coverage. Percentage of facility-based deliveries. Early postnatal care coverage. Management of childhood diarrhea. Management of pneumonia. Completed referrals. Nutritional screening coverage. Availability of essential products. Functionality of health equipment. Activity levels of community health agents. Completion of corrective actions. These indicators will help measure whether interventions are producing improvements in healthcare quality, access, preparedness, and community health. Who Is the Initiative For? The call is intended for organizations capable of supporting health and nutrition programming in Madagascar in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health and UNICEF. Potential partners should have the technical and operational capacity to contribute to areas such as: Maternal and newborn health. Child health. Nutrition. Community health. Health-system strengthening. Training and mentorship. Emergency preparedness. Supply and equipment management. Data and monitoring. Community engagement. Key Areas of Work The initiative brings together several complementary components:

Health-service quality: Evaluation, training and mentorship.

Maternal and child health: Improved implementation of national protocols.

Nutrition: Screening and integration into health contacts.

Community health: Training and supervision of community agents.

Supply resilience: Medicines, nutrition products and equipment.

Emergency response: Preparedness and prepositioning in vulnerable areas.

Access: Mobile clinics and advanced service strategies.

Referral: Functional referral and counter-referral systems.

Governance: Stronger district-level management.

Data: Routine analysis and evidence-based corrective action.

Frequently Asked Questions What is the UNICEF Madagascar health initiative? It is a call for expressions of interest focused on strengthening maternal, neonatal and child health, nutrition, community health and emergency resilience across targeted regions of Madagascar. Who is leading the initiative? The initiative is under the technical leadership of the Ministry of Public Health of Madagascar, with UNICEF serving as the issuing agency. What health areas are covered? The programme covers maternal, neonatal and child health, nutrition, community health, emergency preparedness, referral systems, health governance and data management. How will community health be strengthened? The programme will identify, train and supervise community health agents while supporting integrated curricula, routine data analysis and community-level problem solving. Does the programme address medicine and equipment shortages? Yes. Activities include inventorying essential supplies, maintaining equipment, reducing stockouts and prepositioning supplies in areas vulnerable to shocks. How will success be measured? Performance will be assessed using baseline information and agreed indicators covering healthcare utilization, nutrition, referrals, supplies, equipment, community health activities and corrective actions. Are mobile clinics included? Yes. Advanced service strategies and mobile clinics are among the approaches intended to improve equitable access in eligible areas. Conclusion The UNICEF Madagascar Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health, Nutrition and Community Health Initiative seeks to build stronger and more resilient health systems by combining facility-based healthcare improvements with community health, nutrition, emergency preparedness and stronger district-level management. The programme places particular emphasis on quality of care, equitable access, reliable supplies, trained community health workers, effective referrals and evidence-based performance improvement.