Front Page Featured – CHAMPS Health

Data Dissemination Levers: Engaging Partners and Stakeholders to translate CHAMPS data into actionable public health policies and interventions – Two success stories at the CHAMPS SL Site

For years, Sierra Leone’s efforts to tackle childhood malnutrition through the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) initiative were hampered by a critical gap: the absence of localized, country-specific data. While malnutrition was recognized as a primary threat to child survival, the lack of evidence made it nearly impossible for the government to strategically allocate resources or […]

Enhancing efficient laboratory results delivery to inform patient management, Siaya County Referral Hospital, Kenya

At Siaya County Referral Hospital in Kenya, delayed laboratory results were contributing to missed treatment decisions and preventable deaths. Using CHAMPS data to spotlight the problem, hospital leaders implemented simple, practical changes—from direct result delivery and emergency notifications to improved specimen tracking and automated reporting. The result: dramatically reduced turnaround times, stronger clinician–laboratory collaboration, and […]

Improving Child Survival Through Extemporaneous Pediatric Formulations: Lessons from Jaramogi Oginga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu County, Kenya

In western Kenya, where sickle cell disease claims the lives of many children before their fifth birthday, CHAMPS data sparked a practical, lifesaving solution. At Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, an in-house extemporaneous compounding service now produces child-friendly formulations of hydroxyurea and other essential medicines—ensuring accurate dosing, improved adherence, reduced hospital stays, and […]

Reducing Stigma and Enhancing Support for Neural Tube Defect Patients at Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospotal through the SALT Project, Harar, Ethiopia

In Eastern Ethiopia, where neural tube defects (NTDs) occur at alarmingly high rates, CHAMPS’ SALT project is transforming care and confronting stigma. Through data-driven action, strategic partnerships, and the creation of a Center of Excellence for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, families now have access to specialized treatment, financial support, and community education. This speaks to […]

Impact of sharing cause of death results with mothers and families in improving healthcare seeking behavior and pregnancy outcomes in subsequent pregnancies, Baliakandi, CHAMPS Bangladesh

In rural Bangladesh, CHAMPS is transforming grief into prevention by sharing cause-of-death findings directly with families. Through compassionate feedback sessions and proactive follow-up of mothers in subsequent pregnancies, the program is strengthening antenatal care uptake, empowering family decision-makers, and equipping community health workers with lifesaving knowledge. Transparent data sharing is improving healthcare-seeking behavior and helping […]

“Men grieve differently” – the importance of providing grief counseling to men who have lost children

The loss of a child is a painful and traumatic experience. Both mothers and fathers of deceased children go through grieving processes, but usually, they do this differently. Studies have shown that men are socialized to refrain from exhibiting grief-related emotions; thus, it is easy to miss the adverse effects of loss and grief that they […]

CHAMPS collaborates with local MoH to reduce neonatal mortality by promoting Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and Enhancing Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) in Siaya, Western Kenya

UNICEF’s target for neonatal mortality rate (NMR) is 12 per 1000 live births [1], however, in Kenya the neonatal mortality rate has remained significantly high at 21 deaths per 1,000 live births [2]. The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) identified key causes of neonatal deaths related to complications of intrapartum events, complications of prematurity, infections and […]

Translating findings from child mortality audits into life-saving interventions: CHAMPS Sierra Leone success story.

In 2021, there were 104.7 deaths per 1,000 live births among children under the age of 5 in Sierra Leone (1). From the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) findings of 610 minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) cases reviewed from February 2019 to December 2022, the determination of cause of death (DeCoDe) expert panel […]