Strengthening Communities through Integrated Programming (SCIP)

A family’s quality of life so often depends on their health and nutritional status, as well as household economic viability. SCIP integrates the services families need most to live healthy reproductive lives.

In Mozambique, women wait for family planning services. SCIP directly improves family planning services through the distribution of contraceptive methods and other activities that increase couple years of protection (CYP).

In addition to training more people in safe water and expanding the number of localities with integrated water and health committees, in just six months, the project repaired 54 water sources.

A community health worker visits a family’s home to demonstrate proper hand washing.

Youth farming clubs are a key to success of the project. SCIP trains club members on improved conservation farming techniques and food handling, use, and storage.

Funded by USAID, the SCIP project is designed to increase quality of life at the household and community levels by improving health and nutritional status and advancing household economic viability. The project integrates sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health, HIV, malaria, water, sanitation and hygiene services, and economic viability activities to maximize resources while providing a broad and effective impact on the population’s overall health and well-being. SCIP works in close collaboration with the government at the provincial, district, and community levels in 14 districts of Nampula Province. Pathfinder leads this integrated project in partnership with Population Services International, World Relief, CARE, and CLUSA.

SCIP directly improves family planning services through the distribution of contraceptive methods. The project also coordinates supply levels with health authorities at the district, provincial, and national levels and continues to explore ways to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality.

Increasing community access to safe water by repairing and/or constructing a greater number of water sources is an integral part of SCIP. Project staff train on the importance of safe water, and are working to expand the number of localities with integrated water and health committees in five districts of Nampula province. The project has repaired or constructed 56 water sources in the past six months.

Finally, SCIP dedicates considerable effort to building youth farmer clubs (YFCs). YFCs invest in the future generation of farmers who are motivated to use improved farming techniques, and integrate orphans and vulnerable children into an existing support network. SCIP provides training to YFC members on improved conservation farming techniques and food handling, use, and storage. In the past six months, 32,821 orphans and vulnerable children benefited from SCIP programs.

SCIP has also trained more than 315,000 community health workers, physicians, nurses and midwives in family planning and reproductive health, child and maternal health, and other integrated services.