SAHYOG, a tech-enabled system support for health workers developed with Alive & Thrive support, wins MIT Solve global challenge award 

An intervention leveraging technology to improve the quality of healthcare service in community settings has won an MIT Solve Novel Measurement for Performance Improvement in Primary Healthcare Challenge award. The approach was developed by Alive & Thrive working closely with health system stakeholders in India and Bangladesh. Alive & Thrive is implemented by FHI Solutions.

The MIT global challenge sought solutions that will offer innovative ways of measuring primary healthcare performance improvement in low- and middle-income countries. A panel of judges comprised of cross-sector and proximate leaders from around the world reviewed hundreds of applications to the challenge received from around the world and selected six winners. 

The app is part of a broader approach the team used to improve the quality-of-service delivery. Improving the quality of primary healthcare delivered in community settings during the critical 1,000 days from the conception of a child to age 2 is crucial to improve health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Evidence is mounting that transforming the way community health workers (CHWs) are supervised is associated with improvement in the quality of services.

SAHYOG, which means "help" in Hindi, improves the quality-of-service delivery through two channels targeted at system supervisors: Supportive Supervision and Strategic Use of Data.

The technology-based solution was developed using a Human-Centric Design approach adapted from the CREATE and DECIDE methods (O'Reilly, 2013, Designing for Behavior Change). Each step of the process, from "Defining the problem", "Exploring the context" and "Crafting the solution" involved structured and unstructured consultations with stakeholders (supervisors, CHWs, and beneficiaries) to refine the understanding of the root causes of issues, identify probable solutions and stress test solution design options. The MIT Solve award will bolster Alive & Thrive’s efforts to replicate the solution in other contexts and geographies both in India and globally.

Read details of the solution here: MIT Solve | Sahyog, tech-enabled system support for health workers - Overview

The Alive & Thrive team included Thomas Forissier, Alive & Thrive Regional Director, South Asia; Binu Anand, Alive & Thrive Country Director, India; Priyanka Bajaj, Nutrition Specialist, Alive & Thrive, India; and Kristen Kappos, Associate Director of Asia programs, Alive & Thrive. Praveen K. Sharma, Sunil Kumar and Rajendra Prasad in Uttar Pradesh and Jagdish Sathe and Bharat Gothi in Gujarat also supported the project.

Ongoing efforts to strengthen the quality of nutrition services through the Sahyog Mobile Application in Uttar Pradesh, India

The mobile-based application, SAHYOG, which won an MIT Solve global challenge award (see article above), was launched by Shri Yogi Adityanath, Honorable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh during POSHAN Maah in September 2022, to streamline and strengthen Supportive Supervision for Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) functionaries for improved nutrition service delivery and beneficiary experience. The app was developed by the Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD) with technical assistance from Alive & Thrive in collaboration with UNICEF, Uttar Pradesh Technical Support Unit (UP-TSU). The mobile app is intended to be used by the supervisors of the ICDS department while making Supportive Supervision visits. 

As a part of concerted efforts to improve the quality of nutrition services, the Government of Uttar Pradesh rolled out a supportive supervision training package for ICDS functionaries in partnership with Alive & Thrive, Uttar Pradesh-Technical Support Unit (UP-TSU), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF India, World Vision India, and Piramal Swasthya. One Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) per district and divisional/district level representatives of development partners, including UNICEF, Piramal Foundation, HCL Foundation, and World Vision India were selected as the master trainers.

Alive & Thrive has supported the government in rolling out the state-level training of Master Trainers, which was completed in September 2022. The district-level training of all CDPO and Mukhya Sevika was initiated on 28 November 2022. A&T, with support from UPTSU, UNICEF, World Vision, and Piramal Swasthya, facilitated a half-day virtual refresher orientation on 24 November 2022. More than 200 master trainers participated in the refresher training and were oriented on an upgraded version of the mobile application, with new and improved features. With the scale-up of the supportive supervision solution, Uttar Pradesh has made a concrete move towards improving nutritional outcomes for women and children in the state.

Strengthening the existing technological solution to improve supportive supervision for nutrition in Bihar, India

The Directorate of ICDS, Bihar, invited development partners in the state on 29 September 2022 to strengthen the supportive supervision component in the program. During the meeting, Alive & Thrive had an opportunity to present the supportive supervision solution, including the concept and the mobile application, with a brief demonstration session of the Sahyog app. The partners appreciated the SS Solution and provided their input to customize the app in the Bihar context. Alive & Thrive and UNICEF have led the advocacy effort with the government to integrate the SS solution into their existing Aangan App-The mobile application is developed for ICDS functionaries to help DPOs, CDPOs, and Lady Supervisors to inspect and monitor the Anganwadi Centres in Bihar.

The meeting was graced with the presence of the Director, ICDS, Assistant Director, and representatives of eight development partners including UNICEF Bihar, Alive & Thrive, PCI, World Vision, CARE, Piramal Swasthya, and Pratham. The app is currently functional in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh; however, it can be customized based on the requirements of a state and incorporated into the existing Aangan App. The application works both online and offline.

As the next steps, Alive & Thrive will share the tools with partners for their feedback and finalization. The finalized tools will be shared with the National Informatics Center (NIC) for integration into the Aangan Application. The app will be piloted in the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar for a month followed by a scale-up in the entire state. 

A&T to support State Health Society in HBYC program in Bihar, India

State Health Society Bihar (SHSB) organized an all-partners meeting on 23 November 2022, for strengthening the reproductive, maternal, newborn child, and adolescent health (RMNCH+A) program in Bihar. Alive & Thrive presented its contribution to the program during the meeting. The meeting was chaired by Executive Director (ED), SHSB, and facilitated by Assistant ED, SHSB. A&T has been asked to support Home-Based Care for Young Child (HBYC), including holding timely monthly meetings and monitoring the data analysis. Alive & Thrive has also been asked to engage with the Professional Medical Association to ensure adherence to the Infant Milk Substitute (IMS) Act.

IAP-IYCF Chapter Webinar on International Scenario of Breastfeeding

The Indian Association of Pediatrics- Infant and Young Child Feeding (IAP-IYCF) Chapter organized a webinar on the international status of breastfeeding, focusing on knowledge exchange, and continuing its efforts to improve breastfeeding. The webinar involved the participation of many eminent national and international experts and was chaired by Dr. Sebanti Ghosh from Alive & Thrive, South Asia.

Please click here for info: dIAP(Indian Academy of Pediatrics) | Event Details (diapindia.org)

IAP-IYCF Chapter and HMBA Annual Conference 2022

The annual conference of the IAP-IYCF Chapter and Human Milk Banking Association (HMBA) was held on 18-20 November 2022 at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi, to promote wider knowledge dissemination. Alive & Thrive technically supported the pre-conference workshop for building the capacity of skilling pediatricians, including postgraduate trainees, on helping mothers in improving the quality of complementary feeding (CF). Dr. Sebanti Ghosh from Alive & Thrive was a key panelist for a plenary session on ‘Adequacy of CF- the challenges and solution,’ which emphasized the key actionable points at family, community, and systems levels to improve young children's diets and feeding. 

For more details, click here: Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) | IYCNCON & HMBCON 2022 (iapindia.org)

Introducing Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) Toolkit 

INTAKE has developed a GDQS Toolkit to aid decision makers, government workers, innovators, researchers, and anyone working in public policy to better understand the importance of dietary data, and to determine if the GDQS metric and the GDQS app suit the data needs in their context. 

To know more, click here: Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) Toolkit | intake