Global Reach
Mozambique
With over 31 million people, Mozambique is located on the southeast coast of Africa. Key maternal and newborn health policies include a quality of care policy, a policy on free access to health services in the public sector, a law guaranteeing universal access to primary healthcare, and a family planning (FP) policy.
The modern contraceptive prevalence rate for all women ages 15 to 49 is 36.40%. The maternal mortality ratio is 289 deaths per 100,000 live births. Of women ages 15 to 49, 25.1% have experienced physical or sexual violence
Our Work in Mozambique
Since December 2017, EngenderHealth has supported fistula prevention and treatment in Mozambique through the USAID-funded Fistula Care Plus (FC+) program. In Mozambique, FC+ operated through our partner Focus Fistula, a local organization founded by expert fistula surgeon Dr. Igor Vaz. By working through Focus Fistula, FC+ also built this organization’s capacity and supported their delivery of training for fistula surgeons and nurses and treatment for patients with fistula. Across the country, FC+ helped to institutionalize routine fistula services in the public and private sectors by developing national and facility policies and guidelines and supporting related resource allocation. To strengthen clinical capacity and cultivate a safe surgery ecosystem, FC+ helped train 54 surgeons and surgical technicians as well as 546 healthcare workers (nurses, midwives, doctors, and medical officers) in fistula prevention and treatment. The training addressed fistula counseling and treatment, advanced urogynecology and complex fistula-related reconstructive surgery, safe cesarean delivery, FP counseling, and infection prevention and control. From 2017 to 2021, FC+ supported 336 surgical fistula repairs in Mozambique, 99% of which were successfully repaired.
The MOMENTUM Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics program builds on and expands our decades-long work and leadership in identifying and addressing the causes of obstetric fistulas through our Fistula Care and FC+ programs. In Mozambique, the program works with the government to improve the ability of institutions and organizations to provide safe emergency surgical obstetric care as well as prevent and treat obstetric fistula. The program also aims to expand access to quality FP care, including FP counseling, postpartum FP, and services for long-acting reversible contraceptives and permanent methods.
