Challenges and Opportunities. This report presents a comprehensive assessment of the education and labor markets for nurses in the ECSA region. It documents the main challenges to train and deploy nurses and discusses opportunities for government and private sector employers to overcome these chall...enges. The report provides empirical evidence to support the expansion of nursing education within the region with a focus on private sector engagement, effective labor market regulation, and regional collaboration. A regional focus for investment may be necessary to create enough potential deals, reduce individual country and regulatory risks, encourage good private institutions to move across borders within the region, and seek to create regional standards for regulation.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) projects a global shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030, mostly in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Contributing to the global deficit are chronic under-investment in education and training of health workers; workforce migration; an aging health wo...rkforce; rapid increases in chronic diseases; and inability to track existing human resources using health information systems. Health care worker shortages are compounded by the increased portability and virulence of infections. Rapid population growth, climate change, deforestation, international travel, migration, poverty, and social inequality have dramatically increased the risk of pandemics and highlighted the need for skilled health workforce to effectively respond to emerging health threats. This is evident now more than ever as COVID-19 exacerbates health inequity and barriers to access, and further strains the already fragile health systems in many countries.
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In 2008 the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) commissioned a national health and social service system review which found that although some progress has been made in primary health care, provision of health services did not go beyond the health facilities, irrespective of the fast dist...ances between the Health facilities and community. The review then recommended that health services should be extended in a structured manner to communities through the establishment of paid health workers.
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Early Identification and Early Intervention Services for Young Children with Developmental Delays and Disabilities in Namibia Republic of Namibia Namibia
Regional Consultations Report
Namibia is estimated to be at 94-97-93 as defined by the UNAIDS 95-95-95 treatment cascade, one of the first high burden countries to approach epidemic control. COP22 is about sustaining the impact of years of investment and partnership with the Namibian government and other stakeholders by employin...g targeted and innovative approaches to prevent new infections, reduce mortality rates, and strengthen the health system to endure the impact of unexpected external shocks, while still providing person-centered health services.
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BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2022 Apr 5;22(1):284. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-04619-w. Adolescent reproductive health is still a challenge in Low and Middle Income Come Countries (LMICs). However, the reasons for the inability of most pregnant adolescent girls to access and utilize maternal and child heal...th information (MCHI) are not well-documented. This is despite the policy guidelines promoting the provision of this necessary information to pregnant adolescents in order to prepare them for delivery. This provision is one of the strategies envisaged to improve their attendance of ANC visits and their maternal and child health.
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Namibia has, for many years, had a strong legislative and policy framework for the protection of children. These policies and laws have been developed through the combined expertise of those working in the field of child protection who have ensured Namibia has a robust legal framework that is in li...ne with international best practices.
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Access to safe and voluntary family planning is an inalienable human right that
cannot be denied. In 2022, UNFPA continued to work with Government and partners
to make this a reality in Namibia by providing strategic support to the national family
planning programme and ensuring universal access ...to quality services for all.
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Zambia has completed the implementation of the National TB Strategic Plan (2017-2021) that set in motion the TB elimination agenda in Zambia through coordinated and accelerated TB response. During this period, the National TB and Leprosy Programme (NTLP) registered tremendous success.
The NTLP is ...poised to attain the ambitious goal pronounced by the government of eliminating TB by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the World Health Organization End TB Strategy. The programme exponentially increased TB notifications from as low as 35,922 people with TB in 2018 to 40,726 in 2020 and in 2021 the TB notifications rose to 50,825 (a 25% increase against 2020 performance). The NTLP also registered incredible success in sustaining high TB Preventive Treatment (TPT) initiations among persons living with HIV and a high TB treatment success rate among drug-susceptible TB cases. New and relapse TB notifications in children below 15 years increased by 43%, from 2,724 in 2020 to 3,890 in 2021. TB notifications ratio between children aged 0-4 and 5-14 was 0.9, an improvement from what we achieved in 2018 (the ratio was 0.7). The proportion of TB patients who are HIV positive continued to decrease, reaching 34% in 2021 from 39% in 2020. Sustained increases in TB notifications, treatment success rate, and TPT initiations have resulted in a rapid decrease in the TB incidence rate that reached 307 per 100,000 population in 2021 against a rate of 391 in 2015.
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The Regional Child Protection Operational Note has been developed by IOM and UNICEF’s Regional and Country Offices in North, West and Central Africa as a collaborative inter-agency and cross-regional endeavour within the framework of the sixth phase of the IOM Regional Development and Protection P...rogramme (RDPP) for North Africa, a regional initiative funded by the European Union through the Directorate‑General for Migration and Home Affairs and the Italian Ministry of Interior.
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2nd edition. This second edition builds on the experience of more than 10 years of SMC deployment, and reflects changes introduced in the WHO guidelines for malaria, 3 June 2022. The goal of this publication is to share these best practices to improve SMC implementation, coverage, and monitoring and... evaluation. Examples of materials and tools as well as links to resources are included to support managers and health workers in their efforts to conduct successful SMC activities and prevent malaria among vulnerable children.
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Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022, 7, 152. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7080152
Developed under the USAID-supported HRH2030 Capacity Building for Malaria (CBM) initiative, this guide offers a comprehensive framework for advising National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCPs) through the use of long-term technical advisors (LTTAs). It sets out key practices for implementing partner...s and advisors, covering advisor selection, onboarding, contextual analysis and capacity-building strategies at individual and organisational levels. It emphasises collaborative work planning, continuous performance monitoring, stakeholder engagement and the use of assessment tools such as the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and the Organisational Development Assessment (ODA). The guide is designed to strengthen the leadership and operational effectiveness of NMCPs, promoting sustainable improvements in malaria control through structured mentorship, knowledge transfer and strategic partnerships.
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This malaria case management training manual was developed by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) of Ethiopia, in collaboration with several national and international partners. Primarily based on WHO guidelines and training materials, as well as the 2022 national malaria guidelines and various te...chnical documents, it aims to provide a standardised, simplified resource for clinical health workers in both the public and private sectors in Ethiopia. The manual aims to provide clinical health workers in both the public and private sectors in Ethiopia with a standardised, simplified resource.
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This comprehensive reference document is intended for those responsible for training in SMC (Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention). It assumes that SMC will be implemented using the Community Health Worker strategy.
The Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Strategy for the Prevention of the Re-establishment of Malaria Transmission in Timor-Leste forms part of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) for 2021–2025. The strategy aims to support Timor-Leste's efforts to sustain malaria elimination by promot...ing responsive and preventive behaviours through targeted communication and community engagement. Created in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the WHO, the Global Fund and other stakeholders, the SBCC strategy implements recommendations from the 2020 external review of the National Malaria Programme. Building on previous BCC initiatives (2015–2020), it emphasises surveillance, diagnosis, treatment and vector control, particularly focusing on vulnerable populations. The SBCC strategy provides partners and implementers with a dynamic guide to designing context-specific communication interventions that support malaria elimination and prevent the re-establishment of transmission.
Accessed on 18/06/2025.
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This chapter of the AMP LLIN Mass Campaign Toolkit outlines the strategic communication approaches that are essential before, during and after long-lasting insecticide-treated net (LLIN) distribution campaigns. It emphasises the importance of setting up a national communications sub-committee under ...the leadership of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) to coordinate advocacy, social mobilisation and behaviour change communication (BCC). The aim of these three components is to secure political and financial support, mobilise communities, and promote sustained net use through tailored, multi-channel messaging. Effective coordination and planning are critical for successful malaria prevention efforts.
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This Communication Guide for Malaria Control Interventions is aligned with Tanzania’s Malaria Strategic Plan (2015–2020) and provides comprehensive guidance on the implementation of Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of malaria. It is int...ended for all stakeholders and implementing partners, with the aim of ensuring harmonised messaging and coordinated communication efforts. The guide outlines strategies, key messages, communication channels and target audiences, with a focus on sustaining and improving malaria-related behaviours at the individual, family and community levels. It incorporates malaria stratification and supports the development of tailored SBCC interventions in different risk areas. Developed with contributions from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Malaria Control Programme and various partner organisations, the guide aims to reduce the malaria burden and promote a malaria-free Tanzania. Supplemented by Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the guide serves as a practical tool for consistent and effective malaria communication nationwide.
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This document was developed by the Ministry of Health in Malawi in collaboration with national and international partners. It introduces a Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) malaria message guide that is aligned with the National Malaria Communication Strategy (NMCS) for the period 2023–2030. The g...uide aims to facilitate effective communication and behavioural change in order to reduce malaria-related morbidity and mortality. It provides a reference framework for messaging and communication tools tailored to target groups, supporting the broader goals of the Health Sector Strategic Plan III. This guide was developed with technical and financial support from key partners, including USAID, PMI through Breakthrough ACTION, and other stakeholders. The guide reflects Malawi’s ongoing commitment to evidence-based SBC interventions, community engagement, and the national fight against malaria.
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This Implementation Kit (I-Kit), developed by the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3), which is funded by USAID and based at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, offers structured guidance for improving social and behavioural change communication (SBCC) strategies relat...ed to malaria in pregnancy (MiP). Designed for programme managers and stakeholders, the toolkit addresses critical communication gaps in MiP programming, particularly among service providers. It provides tools to help users integrate MiP into situation analyses, segment audiences, define behavioural objectives and draft strategic communication plans.
MiP poses a significant public health challenge, contributing to maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. Although effective interventions exist, such as the use of insecticide-treated nets, intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) and timely diagnosis and treatment, their implementation remains inconsistent. The I-Kit supports more effective SBCC planning and implementation, with the aim of increasing the uptake and impact of these interventions and ultimately reducing malaria-related deaths and illness among pregnant women and newborns.
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