Deadline: 27-Jul-2026
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is inviting applications to strengthen maternal, newborn, child health (MNCH), and nutrition services through community-based health system improvements. The initiative focuses on building the capacity of health workers and volunteers, improving service quality, promoting respectful maternal care, and expanding equitable access to evidence-based health and nutrition services for women and children.
UNICEF Call for Applications: Strengthening Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Nutrition Services
The UNICEF Call for Applications seeks implementing partners to strengthen community health systems and improve access to high-quality maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition (MNCHN) services.
The programme supports community-based interventions that improve health service delivery, strengthen local health systems, enhance coordination among health stakeholders, and promote community participation to achieve better health outcomes for women, newborns, and children.
Program Objectives
The programme aims to:
- Strengthen community health systems.
- Improve maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition services.
- Enhance equitable access to quality healthcare.
- Build the capacity of frontline health workers and volunteers.
- Promote respectful maternal and newborn care.
- Strengthen municipal health governance and coordination.
- Improve community participation in health service delivery.
- Increase the use of evidence-based healthcare practices.
- Improve health service quality through community feedback mechanisms.
Focus Areas
Projects should contribute to one or more of the following:
- Health systems strengthening
- Maternal health
- Newborn health
- Child health
- Nutrition services
- Community health
- Community engagement
- Respectful maternity care
- Maternal and Child Health Handbook
- Health worker capacity building
- Community mobilization
- Health facility strengthening
- Municipal health governance
- Health service quality improvement
- Community scorecards
- Evidence-based healthcare
- Equitable access to healthcare
Program Overview
Many communities continue to experience barriers in accessing quality maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition services. These challenges include limited capacity among frontline health workers, inadequate community engagement, and gaps in service quality.
This UNICEF initiative addresses these challenges by strengthening community-based health platforms, improving local health system capacity, and promoting collaboration between health facilities, local governments, volunteers, and communities.
Key Activities Supported
The programme supports activities such as:
- Capacity building for frontline health workers
- Training Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs)
- Training community health workers
- Strengthening health facility teams
- Supporting outreach health services
- Strengthening mothers’ groups
- School-based health engagement
- Capacity building for municipal health sections
- Community mobilization activities
- Updating health tools and educational resources
- Improving supervision and mentoring systems
- Community feedback mechanisms
- Health service quality improvement initiatives
- Municipal coordination for health services
- Implementation of community health scorecards
Target Beneficiaries
The programme targets:
- Pregnant women
- Post-natal mothers
- Newborns
- Children
- Families
- Female Community Health Volunteers
- Community health workers
- Health facility staff
- Mothers’ groups
- Schools
- Local leaders
- Municipal health authorities
- Communities with limited access to quality healthcare
Expected Results
The initiative aims to achieve the following outcomes:
- Benefit at least 40,000 women and children through programme interventions.
- Reach at least 10,000 pregnant and post-natal mothers with respectful care activities.
- Train more than 500 Female Community Health Volunteers.
- Train over 420 health workers.
- Support at least 50 health facilities in implementing community health scorecards.
- Improve community participation in health service planning and monitoring.
- Strengthen municipal health system performance.
Why This Programme Matters
Strong community health systems are essential for reducing maternal and child mortality, improving nutrition, and ensuring equitable healthcare access.
This initiative helps to:
- Improve the quality of maternal and newborn care.
- Increase access to essential health and nutrition services.
- Strengthen local health systems.
- Promote respectful and people-centered healthcare.
- Empower communities to participate in improving health services.
- Build sustainable health governance at the municipal level.
How the Programme Works
The programme follows a community-centered approach by:
- Strengthening frontline health worker capacity.
- Supporting Female Community Health Volunteers and outreach services.
- Improving municipal coordination of health services.
- Providing updated health tools and resources.
- Promoting community engagement through mothers’ groups and local leaders.
- Using community scorecards to monitor and improve service quality.
- Encouraging continuous feedback for health system improvement.
Tips for a Strong Application
Applicants should:
- Demonstrate experience in maternal and child health programming.
- Show strong community engagement approaches.
- Include partnerships with local governments and health facilities.
- Present evidence-based implementation strategies.
- Explain how service quality will be monitored and improved.
- Include measurable indicators and expected outcomes.
- Demonstrate sustainability beyond the project period.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid:
- Weak community participation strategies.
- Limited coordination with municipal health authorities.
- Unclear monitoring and evaluation plans.
- Failing to explain capacity-building activities.
- Insufficient focus on equitable healthcare access.
- Poor integration with existing health systems.
- Unrealistic implementation timelines.
Who Can Benefit?
The programme is designed to benefit:
- Women of reproductive age
- Pregnant and post-natal mothers
- Newborns and children
- Community health volunteers
- Health workers
- Health facilities
- Municipal governments
- Local communities
- Community organizations supporting maternal and child health
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the main objective of this UNICEF programme?
The programme aims to strengthen community health systems and improve access to quality maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition services.
What health areas does the programme support?
It supports maternal health, newborn health, child health, nutrition, community health systems, respectful care, and equitable access to healthcare.
Who are the primary beneficiaries?
Women, newborns, children, pregnant and post-natal mothers, community health volunteers, health workers, and local communities.
What capacity-building activities are included?
The programme includes training for Female Community Health Volunteers, health workers, health facility teams, municipal health staff, and community groups.
How many people are expected to benefit?
The initiative aims to benefit at least 40,000 women and children, including 10,000 pregnant and post-natal mothers.
How will health service quality be improved?
Through training, updated tools, improved supervision, community engagement, municipal coordination, and implementation of community health scorecards.
Why are community scorecards important?
Community scorecards encourage dialogue between health providers and communities, improve accountability, identify service gaps, and support continuous quality improvement.
Conclusion
The UNICEF Call for Applications represents an important opportunity to strengthen maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition services through community-based health system improvements. By investing in frontline health workers, community volunteers, municipal coordination, and evidence-based service delivery, the programme seeks to improve healthcare access, enhance service quality, and achieve better health outcomes for thousands of women and children while building stronger and more resilient community health systems.
For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.