Strengthening Communities through Integrated Programming (SCIP)

A family’s quality of life so often depends on their health and nutritional status, as well as household economic viability. SCIP integrates the services families need most to live healthy reproductive lives.

In Mozambique, women wait for family planning services. SCIP directly improves family planning services through the distribution of contraceptive methods and other activities that increase couple years of protection (CYP).

In addition to training more people in safe water and expanding the number of localities with integrated water and health committees, in just six months, the project repaired 54 water sources.

A community health worker visits a family’s home to demonstrate proper hand washing.

Youth farming clubs are a key to success of the project. SCIP trains club members on improved conservation farming techniques and food handling, use, and storage.

From 2009 to 2015, across 15 districts of Nampula province, Pathfinder and its partners implemented the USAID-funded Strengthening Communities through Integrated Programming (SCIP) project. In close collaboration with the government, SCIP aimed to improve families’ health and overall wellbeing by delivering this targeted package of interventions:

• Expand access to information and services for sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health, HIV, malaria, clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. 
• Create a bridge between communities and distant health facilities—mobilizing community leaders to promote healthseeking behavior, improving referral systems, and deploying mobile outreach brigades to deliver health care locally.
• Build the skills of clinical providers and help facilities secure supplies and resources, so clients can access the quality, lifesaving care they urgently need.

Pathfinder leads this integrated project in partnership with CARE, CLUSA, Population Services International, and World Relief.

Communities faced urgent and complex challenges. SCIP supported the government and communities to implement multisectoral solutions that have transformed the health and lives of families across Mozambique’s most populous province.

SCIP directly improved family planning services through the distribution of contraceptive methods (the project distributed more than 17 million contraception methods, including pills, IUDs, condoms, injectibles, and implants). The project also coordinated supply levels with health authorities at the district, provincial, and national levels.

The project saw incredible progress in terms of maternal health: more than 3.7 million antenatal care visits with a skilled provider and more than 700,000 deliveries were performed at health facilities. 

Increasing community access to safe water by repairing and/or constructing a greater number of water sources was an integral part of SCIP. Project staff conducted trainings on the importance of safe water, and expanded the number of localities with integrated water and health committees in five districts of Nampula province. The project repaired or constructed more than 270 water sources and constructed nearly 50,000 latrines.

Finally, SCIP dedicated considerable effort to training communities in conservation farming techniques. These Young Farmer Clubs invested in the future generation of farmers who are motivated to use improved farming techniques, and integrate orphans and vulnerable children into an existing support network. SCIP provided training to members on improved conservation farming techniques and food handling, use, and storage. In the five years of SCIP, more than 28,000 orphans and vulnerable children were trained as young farmers.

SCIP has also trained more than 500,000 community health workers, physicians, nurses, and midwives in family planning and reproductive health, child and maternal health, and other integrated services.