NISHTHA Maternal and Child Health Programme (India)

Deadline: 20-Jun-2026

The United Nations Children’s Fund is inviting applications to strengthen maternal and child health services in Chhattisgarh through improved newborn and immunization surveillance and household tracking. The NISHTHA programme focuses on pregnancy, childbirth, postnatal care, immunization, newborn care, malnutrition, anaemia, and improved healthcare access. The initiative uses a 1,000-day approach to ensure timely and quality care for pregnant women, newborns, and children.

Overview

The United Nations Children’s Fund, also known as UNICEF, is inviting applications to strengthen maternal and child health services through the NISHTHA programme in Chhattisgarh.

The programme aims to improve newborn and immunization surveillance, household tracking, and timely access to health services for pregnant women, newborns, and children.

It responds to key public health challenges in Chhattisgarh, including malnutrition, anaemia, infectious diseases, rural-urban inequities, limited healthcare access, and barriers faced by tribal and underserved communities.

Key Focus Areas

The NISHTHA programme focuses on maternal health, child health, immunization, and healthcare service delivery.

Key focus areas include:

• Child health
• Immunization
• Maternal health
• Newborn health
• Emergency obstetric care
• Improved access to healthcare services
• Maternal and child health service delivery
• Tracking of pregnant women and newborns
• Healthcare utilization during pregnancy
• Healthcare utilization during childbirth
• Malnutrition
• Anaemia
• Infectious diseases
• Malaria
• Acute diarrheal illnesses
• Stakeholder engagement
• Health information and counselling
• Institutional deliveries
• Vaccination card availability
• Rural-urban healthcare equity

Purpose of the Programme

The purpose of the NISHTHA programme is to improve maternal and child health outcomes by ensuring that pregnant women, newborns, and children receive timely and adequate healthcare.

The programme uses a 1,000-day approach covering pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal care.

It also aims to strengthen household-level tracking, improve service delivery platforms, and ensure better follow-up for women and children who need care.

Project Location

The programme is implemented in Chhattisgarh.

The region faces several healthcare delivery challenges, including:

• Accessibility barriers
• Left-wing extremism-affected areas
• High tribal population density
• Socio-economic challenges
• Poverty
• Limited education
• Healthcare access disparities
• High burden of malnutrition and anaemia
• Infectious diseases affecting women and children

Health Challenges Addressed

The programme responds to important public health concerns affecting women and children.

These include:

• Malnutrition among children and mothers
• Anaemia among women and children
• Malaria
• Acute diarrheal illnesses
• Poor healthcare utilization during pregnancy
• Limited newborn care follow-up
• Gaps in immunization tracking
• Delays in accessing health services
• Rural-urban inequities in healthcare delivery

1,000-Day Approach

The NISHTHA programme follows a 1,000-day approach.

This approach focuses on the critical period from pregnancy through childbirth and early childhood.

The 1,000-day approach includes:

• Antenatal care
• Safe childbirth support
• Emergency obstetric care
• Postnatal care
• Newborn tracking
• Immunization follow-up
• Nutrition counselling
• Health information for mothers and families
• Early identification of health risks

This period is important because timely care can improve survival, growth, development, and long-term health outcomes for children.

Expected Results

The programme is expected to improve maternal and child health service delivery and outcomes.

Expected results include:

• Pregnant women receiving quality care before delivery
• Pregnant women receiving quality care during delivery
• Mothers and newborns receiving quality care after delivery
• Improved informed decision-making among families
• Stronger service delivery platforms
• Better follow-up mechanisms for pregnant women and newborns
• Improved immunization surveillance
• Better tracking of newborns and children
• Increased healthcare utilization during pregnancy and childbirth
• Stronger engagement of frontline health workers
• Improved stakeholder coordination
• Reduced rural-urban inequities in service access

Role of Frontline Health Workers

Frontline health workers play a central role in the programme.

Their engagement is important for:

• Identifying pregnant women and newborns
• Tracking households
• Supporting immunization follow-up
• Providing health information
• Encouraging institutional deliveries
• Supporting maternal education and awareness
• Linking families to health services
• Providing counselling on pregnancy, childbirth, newborn care, and nutrition

Importance of Maternal Education and Awareness

The programme highlights the importance of maternal education and awareness in improving health outcomes.

Mothers and caregivers need timely information to make informed decisions about:

• Antenatal care
• Institutional delivery
• Newborn care
• Immunization
• Nutrition
• Anaemia prevention
• Malaria prevention
• Diarrhoea management
• Postnatal care
• When and where to seek healthcare support

Immunization and Newborn Surveillance

A major focus of the programme is strengthening immunization and newborn surveillance.

This includes:

• Tracking newborns
• Monitoring immunization status
• Supporting vaccination card availability
• Improving follow-up for missed vaccinations
• Strengthening household-level tracking
• Ensuring children receive timely immunization services
• Supporting health workers in identifying service gaps

Stakeholder Engagement

The programme emphasizes stakeholder engagement for effective health service delivery.

Important stakeholders may include:

• Health departments
• Frontline health workers
• Community health workers
• Local government actors
• Community leaders
• Families and caregivers
• Service delivery institutions
• Development partners
• Local civil society actors

Strong stakeholder engagement can improve coordination, accountability, and service delivery outcomes.

Why It Matters

Maternal and child health services are essential for reducing preventable illness, improving child survival, and supporting healthy development.

In areas with limited access to healthcare, poverty, low awareness, and high disease burden, pregnant women and children may miss critical services.

The NISHTHA programme matters because it strengthens tracking, surveillance, follow-up, and service delivery systems so that women and children receive care at the right time.

By addressing malnutrition, anaemia, immunization gaps, and barriers to healthcare access, the programme can contribute to better health outcomes for vulnerable communities in Chhattisgarh.

How to Apply or Prepare a Strong Application

Applicants should prepare a clear proposal that explains their approach to strengthening maternal and child health services, tracking systems, immunization surveillance, and community-level healthcare access.

Step 1: Understand the Local Health Context

Applicants should show understanding of health challenges in Chhattisgarh.

This may include:

• Tribal population needs
• Rural and remote access barriers
• Malnutrition and anaemia
• Immunization gaps
• Maternal health risks
• Newborn care challenges
• Infectious diseases affecting women and children
• Socio-economic barriers to healthcare utilization

Step 2: Explain the Programme Approach

The application should clearly explain how the organisation will support the NISHTHA programme objectives.

The approach should include:

• Household tracking
• Pregnant women tracking
• Newborn tracking
• Immunization surveillance
• Health counselling
• Follow-up mechanisms
• Frontline worker engagement
• Referral and service linkage support

Step 3: Strengthen the 1,000-Day Care Pathway

Applicants should explain how they will support care during pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal stages.

This may include:

• Antenatal care follow-up
• Institutional delivery promotion
• Emergency obstetric care linkages
• Postnatal check-ups
• Newborn care tracking
• Immunization completion support
• Nutrition and anaemia counselling

Step 4: Address Barriers to Healthcare Access

The proposal should identify barriers that prevent women and children from accessing services.

These may include:

• Poverty
• Limited education
• Distance from health facilities
• Social barriers
• Lack of awareness
• Low service utilization
• Rural-urban inequities
• Challenges in tribal and remote areas

Applicants should explain how their activities will reduce these barriers.

Step 5: Engage Frontline Workers and Communities

A strong application should include a clear plan for working with frontline health workers and communities.

This may include:

• Capacity building
• Supportive supervision
• Community awareness
• Health counselling
• Household visits
• Coordination with local health systems
• Tracking and follow-up support

Step 6: Define Expected Results

Applicants should clearly explain how results will be measured.

Possible indicators may include:

• Number of pregnant women tracked
• Number of newborns tracked
• Increase in immunization follow-up
• Improved vaccination card availability
• Increased institutional deliveries
• Improved antenatal and postnatal care utilization
• Increased counselling coverage
• Reduced missed service opportunities
• Improved stakeholder coordination

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid submitting weak or unclear proposals.

Common mistakes include:

• Not explaining the local health context
• Ignoring tribal and remote community needs
• Failing to link activities to maternal and child health outcomes
• Not including household tracking mechanisms
• Providing weak plans for newborn and immunization surveillance
• Not showing how frontline workers will be engaged
• Ignoring malnutrition and anaemia concerns
• Not addressing healthcare access barriers
• Providing vague expected results
• Not including stakeholder coordination

Tips for a Strong Application

A strong application should be practical, health-focused, and systems-oriented.

Useful tips include:

• Clearly explain the maternal and child health challenges in the target areas.
• Show how the project will track pregnant women and newborns.
• Include a clear immunization surveillance approach.
• Align activities with the 1,000-day care pathway.
• Strengthen the role of frontline health workers.
• Address malnutrition, anaemia, malaria, and diarrheal illnesses where relevant.
• Explain how families will receive health information and counselling.
• Include plans to improve institutional deliveries.
• Show how rural-urban inequities will be reduced.
• Present measurable results and practical follow-up systems.

FAQ

1. What is the NISHTHA programme?

The NISHTHA programme is a UNICEF-supported initiative focused on strengthening maternal and child health services through improved newborn and immunization surveillance and household tracking in Chhattisgarh.

2. What are the main focus areas?

The main focus areas include child health, immunization, maternal and newborn health, emergency obstetric care, improved healthcare access, malnutrition, anaemia, and stakeholder engagement.

3. Where is the programme implemented?

The programme is implemented in Chhattisgarh.

4. What is the 1,000-day approach?

The 1,000-day approach covers the critical period from pregnancy through childbirth and postnatal care, focusing on timely health services, nutrition, newborn care, and immunization.

5. What health issues does the programme address?

The programme addresses malnutrition, anaemia, malaria, acute diarrheal illnesses, low healthcare utilization, immunization gaps, and barriers to maternal and child health services.

6. Why is household tracking important?

Household tracking helps identify pregnant women, newborns, and children who need health services, follow-up care, immunization, counselling, or referral support.

7. What results are expected?

Expected results include improved quality care before, during, and after delivery, stronger service delivery platforms, better follow-up systems, increased healthcare utilization, and improved stakeholder engagement.

Conclusion

The UNICEF NISHTHA programme aims to strengthen maternal and child health services in Chhattisgarh by improving newborn and immunization surveillance, household tracking, and timely access to care.

By focusing on the 1,000-day period, frontline worker engagement, maternal education, vaccination tracking, malnutrition, anaemia, and healthcare access barriers, the initiative supports better health outcomes for women, newborns, and children. Strong applications should demonstrate a clear understanding of local health challenges, practical service delivery strategies, stakeholder coordination, and measurable improvements in maternal and child health.

For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.