A young mother clutches her new-born in a village clinic, both barely surviving a delivery that should never have been life-threatening. Her anemia went undetected for months because the ASHA worker lacked updated records, the ANM operated from different beneficiary lists, and the AWW worked in complete isolation. Three frontline workers, three separate systems, one preventable near-tragedy. This deadly fragmentation repeats across thousands of villages where missed risks during pregnancy or birth decide entire families’ futures, turning celebrations into crises for the most vulnerable mothers and babies.
Across the world, poorly functioning health systems affect vulnerable women and children the most- with India particularly seeing a high rate most of maternal and child deaths – most occurring due to preventable causes.
Our NGO partner saw through this chaos to a breakthrough insight: the solution wasn’t just more resources but unified action focused on transforming maternal and child health and nutrition outcomes delivered by the Government. Their approach puts all frontline workers on the same page, sharing village maps and tracking high-risk cases together in real time. Inside upgraded health facilities, skilled nurses handle complications confidently while data flows instantly between community workers and clinics. Through participatory learning, communities learn to recognize danger signs and demand quality care, becoming active partners in their own health outcomes.
This coordinated approach transforms lives at scale. High-risk pregnancies are identified 60% more effectively, women receive complete antenatal care 1.7 times more often, malnourished children are not just identified but detected three times faster and data is accurately measured across departments. The young mother from our story exemplifies this transformation. For her second pregnancy, coordinated care ensures four antenatal visits, early anaemia detection, safe institutional delivery with skilled attendants and a lot of awareness. She returns home healthy, her family’s future secure through a system that finally works effectively and as one.