Management Sciences for Health

01/25/2026

El proyecto de Madres y Bebés Saludables está ampliando su alcance, de apoyar a mujeres embarazadas a acompañar a las madres durante los primeros 1,000 días críticos de vida de sus bebés.

La semana pasada, el equipo de Utz' Na'n y el socio PIES de Occidente visitaron un Grupo de Madres Saludables en Xecol, Cajolá, donde más de 25 madres se reunieron para hablar sobre lactancia materna y apoyarse mutuamente durante la maternidad temprana.

Esta expansión significa atención integral que acompaña a las familias desde el embarazo hasta los dos años—la ventana cuando las intervenciones de nutrición y salud son más importantes. Y la metodología funciona: mientras las madres se reúnen, los niños mayores disfrutan de actividades recreativas, facilitando la participación de todas.

🔗: https://msh.org/.../healthy-mothers-and-babies-in-guatemala/

01/25/2026

The Healthy Mothers and Babies project is extending its reach, from supporting pregnant women to walking alongside mothers through their babies' critical first 1,000 days.

Last week, the Utz' Na'n team and partner PIES de Occidente visited a Healthy Mothers Group in Xecol, Cajolá, where more than 25 mothers came together to discuss breastfeeding and support each other through early motherhood.

This expansion means comprehensive care that follows families from pregnancy through age two—the window when nutrition and health interventions matter most. And the format works: while mothers meet, older children enjoy recreational activities nearby, making it easier for everyone to participate.

Learn more about our work in Guatemala: https://msh.org/projects/healthy-mothers-and-babies-in-guatemala/

PIES de Occidente

01/23/2026

Safe medicines don’t happen by chance.

In December 2025, MSH concluded a 10-month technical assistance project to strengthen Cameroon’s national pharmacovigilance system, in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health and with support from the Global Fund.

The work delivered core regulatory tools, national training frameworks, and standardized surveillance procedures—laying the foundation for safer medicines and sustained progress toward WHO regulatory maturity standards. Learn more: https://msh.org/projects/global-fund-program-to-implement-a-national-surveillance-system-for-health-products-in-cameroon/



The Global Fund Ministère de la Santé Publique du Cameroun World Health Organization (WHO)

01/22/2026

En Guatemala, abuelas comadronas tradicionales están aprendiendo una habilidad que puede salvar vidas: cómo identificar bajo peso en recién nacidos.

El Dr. Gustavo Barrios y el equipo de Utz' Na'n (Madres y Bebés Saludables), junto con el socio PIES de Occidente, realizaron una capacitación práctica en Huitán, Quetzaltenango con más de 19 comadronas sobre el uso de cintas MUAC (circunferencia medio-superior del brazo)—también conocidas como cintas de Shakir—para identificar bebés en riesgo.

Las comadronas son líderes de confianza en sus comunidades. Equiparlas con estas herramientas de tamizaje significa más recién nacidos reciben referencias oportunas a servicios de salud y una vigilancia comunitaria más fuerte contra la desnutrición.

🔗: https://msh.org/projects/healthy-mothers-and-babies-in-guatemala/

01/22/2026

In Guatemala, traditional grandmother midwives are learning a lifesaving skill: how to screen newborns for low birth weight.

Dr. Gustavo Barrios and the Utz' Na'n (Healthy Mothers and Babies) team, together with partner PIES de Occidente, led a hands-on training in Huitán, Quetzaltenango with more than 19 comadronas on using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes—also known as Shakir bands—to identify at-risk babies.

Comadronas are trusted leaders in their communities. Equipping them with these screening tools means more newborns get timely referrals to health services and stronger community-based malnutrition surveillance.

Learn more about our work in : https://msh.org/projects/healthy-mothers-and-babies-in-guatemala/

01/21/2026

Malaria cases jumped 9 million in 2024. We have the tools for eradication but need urgent action on financing, optimization, and integrated delivery.

01/21/2026

Vertical programs helped the world make important gains against malaria. But today’s challenges require something more integrated.

Countries are strengthening primary health care systems that can deliver prevention, treatment, and surveillance together. When malaria programs are embedded in these systems, they reach more people and use resources more efficiently.

Integration is not a technical detail. It is a strategic choice. Our latest blog explores why malaria outcomes depend on how countries finance, prioritize, and deliver care.

Read more: https://msh.org/story/why-malaria-eradication-depends-on-financing-prioritization-and-delivery/

01/19/2026

In Ghana and Rwanda, small, flexible grants have helped district teams address everyday challenges, from equipment shortages to outreach gaps.

Coupled with leadership strengthening and data use, these catalytic grants have unlocked meaningful system improvements. District teams are strengthening routine supervision, using data more consistently, and improving service delivery.

It’s a clear example of what becomes possible when local leadership has the resources to act. Read more: https://msh.org/story/how-flexible-catalytic-grants-are-strengthening-district-led-primary-health-care-in-ghana-and-rwanda/

01/17/2026

Malaria eradication is not the result of a single program.

It is built through strong health systems that make prevention and treatment possible in everyday life, and through many aligned decisions across financing, planning, and service delivery.

As Dr. Justice Nonvignon, MSH’s Technical Director for Health Economics and Financing, outlines in his recent analysis, progress depends on three fundamentals working together:

✅Sustainable financing
✅Evidence-based prioritization
✅Reliable delivery through primary health care

Read more: https://msh.org/story/why-malaria-eradication-depends-on-financing-prioritization-and-delivery/

12/31/2025

Every two minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth. Most of these deaths are preventable, when women have access to skilled care close to home.

Stories like Zarmina’s show what is at stake when care is out of reach, and what becomes possible when health systems are strengthened.

Learn more: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/where-childbirth-puts-women-danger-management-sciences-for-health-lskxf

As the year closes, thank you for supporting work that helps mothers survive childbirth and return home to their families.

Give before midnight: https://msh.org/donate/

Dear Supporter, Zarmina's* mother died from postpartum complications in their remote Afghan village. Her baby brother died shortly after birth.

12/31/2025

✨Country leadership is the foundation of strong health systems.

In 2025, MSH worked alongside governments and local institutions to advance country-led solutions—focused on shared leadership, data-driven decision-making, and long-term capacity.

Looking to 2026, we’re deepening partnerships that strengthen the systems countries rely on, from national institutions to communities.

Learn more about our work: https://msh.org/annual-report/

12/30/2025

Every two minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth. This holiday season, your gift supports the long‑term work of strengthening maternal health systems, so fewer families experience preventable loss.

Learn more: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/woman-should-die-during-childbirth-management-sciences-for-health-zqhjf

DONATE BEFORE YEAR-END: https://msh.org/donate/