UNICEF has launched a new initiative in Ukraine to strengthen perinatal care, improve maternal and newborn health outcomes, and support priority hromadas in Kyiv. The programme seeks a civil society organisation (CSO) to deliver evidence-based training, facility improvements, and enhanced monitoring aligned with national health priorities. This opportunity aims to create safer, more equitable, and more efficient perinatal services across selected health facilities.

UNICEF Opportunity to Strengthen Perinatal Care in Ukraine

Overview

UNICEF is inviting a civil society partner to support a major initiative focused on improving maternal and newborn health in Kyiv’s priority hromadas. The programme aims to enhance perinatal care quality through workforce training, facility management improvements, evidence-driven monitoring, and the introduction of WHO-recommended clinical audits.

Key Objectives

• Strengthen healthcare worker capacity in perinatal care

• Improve quality and efficiency across targeted health facilities

• Advance national learning through maternal death audit pilots

• Enhance monitoring of NHSU-related perinatal service delivery

• Support coordinated maternal, newborn and breastfeeding interventions

Why This Initiative Matters

Improving perinatal care is critical in Ukraine, where health systems face significant pressure due to conflict, resource constraints and shifting population needs. Strengthening clinical skills, facility leadership and monitoring systems helps reduce preventable maternal and newborn complications, ensuring safer births and higher-quality care for families.

Core Components of the Programme

1. Capacity Building for Healthcare Workers

UNICEF will support the selected CSO to design and deliver blended learning modules that combine:

• Scenario-based online training

• Practical, in-person workshops

Training Focus Areas

• Pain management during labour

• Infection prevention and control

• Management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia

• Prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage

• Evidence-based clinical decision-making

Training Validation

All modules must be validated by:

• UNICEF

• Ministry of Health of Ukraine

• National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU)

2. Strengthening Facility Management

Facility managers will receive structured mentoring to develop Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs) based on monitoring data.

QIP Focus Areas

• Infection control measures

• Equipment and procurement planning

• Referral pathway optimisation

• Financial and resource management

• Compliance with NHSU requirements

Each QIP must use SMART indicators to ensure measurable improvement.

3. Pilot of WHO Clinical Maternal Death Audit

The CSO will pilot WHO’s maternal death audit methodology in 4–5 hospitals to:

• Identify avoidable causes of maternal mortality

• Document systemic gaps

• Produce insights and operational guidance for nationwide scaling

• Strengthen clinical accountability

4. Monitoring of Best Practices and NHS Contracting

The CSO will support joint NHS–UNICEF monitoring visits to at least seven facilities twice per year.

Monitoring Goals

• Evaluate the impact of selective contracting

• Assess quality of care under maternal and newborn NHSU packages

• Facilitate participatory engagement and team-based feedback

• Generate evidence for service improvements and contract decisions

5. Coordination for Holistic Maternal and Newborn Care

The CSO must collaborate with partners working on:

• Breastfeeding capacity building

• IYCF-related training

• Supportive supervision approaches

This creates a seamless continuum of maternal and newborn care.

Who Is Eligible?

Organisations that may apply include:

• Civil society organisations with health-sector experience

• Groups with proven capacity to deliver clinical training

• Institutions familiar with Ukrainian health system standards

• Organisations experienced in monitoring, evaluation, and QI processes

• CSOs with ability to coordinate with government and international partners

How the Programme Works (Step-by-Step)

1. UNICEF selects a capable CSO partner based on expertise and capacity.

2. Training modules are designed, validated, and deployed across target facilities.

3. Facility managers receive mentoring and create customised QIPs.

4. Maternal death audit pilot is implemented, with findings documented.

5. Monitoring visits occur twice yearly to assess progress and contracting impact.

6. Cross-sector coordination ensures consistent training and care practices.

7. Evaluation and reporting guide continuous improvement and potential scale-up.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Delivering training without proper validation by UNICEF, MOH, and NHSU

• Creating QIPs without SMART indicators

• Not documenting lessons from maternal death audits

• Failing to maintain consistent communication with partner organisations

• Using monitoring tools inconsistently across facilities

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is the main goal of this UNICEF initiative?

To improve perinatal care quality and outcomes for mothers and newborns across selected Kyiv health facilities.

2. Who can apply for this opportunity?

Eligible applicants include civil society organisations with expertise in maternal health, clinical training, monitoring, and quality improvement.

3. What types of training will be developed?

Training will cover pain management, infection control, pre-eclampsia/eclampsia management, postpartum haemorrhage treatment and evidence-based clinical protocols.

4. What is a maternal death audit?

It is a structured review of maternal deaths to identify avoidable factors and improve clinical and system-level responses.

5. How many facilities will undergo monitoring?

At least seven facilities, with two monitoring rounds per year.

6. What are QIPs?

Quality Improvement Plans are structured management tools that outline priority challenges, actions, timelines and measurable performance indicators.

7. Why is coordination with breastfeeding partners needed?

To ensure aligned training, supportive supervision, and continuity of care for mothers and infants.

Conclusion

UNICEF’s new initiative provides a strategic opportunity to enhance perinatal care in Ukraine by strengthening clinical skills, improving facility leadership and establishing evidence-driven monitoring systems. By partnering with a capable CSO, the programme aims to build safer, more reliable and more equitable maternal and newborn health services for families across Kyiv’s priority hromadas.