Global Mapping Exercise of Canadian Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Initiatives

Objective: Accomplishing the ambitious targets set by the United Nations Global Strategy to save the lives of 16 million women and children in low income countries by 2015 requires that governments, development partners, civil society, academics, and the corporate sector create new partnerships and collaborations. The Canadian Network for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health was a pilot initiative to determine possible synergies between Canadian organizations. The main purpose of this project was to develop an online, up-to-date, interactive tool to examine the nature, scope, and type of Canadian maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) activities and to promote collaborative efforts among Canadian organizations. Methods: Relevant Canadian organizations and institutions were identified and invited to complete a survey/mapping exercise if they were based in Canada and currently engaged in MNCH programming in low income countries. Google Maps was used to portray MNCH-related activities worldwide, including detailed descriptions of each initiative. Results: As of November 2011, 42 Canadian organizations were identified as engaged in 102 MNCH-related initiatives, in more than 1000 regions, in 94 countries. The results of this survey are summarized here and have been shared in more detail through an interactive website mapping tool at the Canadian Network for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. Conclusion: The mapping exercise of in-country programs represented visually in an interactive website has laid the groundwork for the Canadian Network for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health to facilitate in-country collaboration, share knowledge and success stories, and build more robust mechanisms for monitoring and accountability.