The U.S. embassy in Mozambique announced this Monday the launch of a $40.5 million maternal and child health support program.

"In Mozambique, one in every 67 women dies during childbirth, three times more than the global average," justifies the diplomatic representation, in a statement.

The investment will be made through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and aims to increase the quality and access to reproductive health care in the provinces of Nampula, Zambezia, and Sofala.  

Nampula and Zambezia are the most populous provinces in the country, totaling about 11 million people (a third of the country's population), while Sofala is the fourth province with the most residents, totaling about 2.5 million.

In partnership with the public health system, the five-year project will be implemented by a consortium of local and international entities led by the US-based non-governmental organization (NGO) Pathfinder International.

The initiative will "train community health workers to share resources and health care options with women, children and couples" and will "work with young adults to dispel myths" around the use of contraceptives and other forms of family planning, the statement added.  

The project is part of the U.S. support in the area of health in Mozambique, with U.S. aid for the most diverse sectors in the Portuguese-speaking country amounting to about 500 million dollars a year, the embassy added.

Lusa Agency