Technical Support for Expanding RMNCHA Program in Bihar
EngenderHealth’s Technical Support for Expanding RMNCHA Program in Bihar is designed to enhance the planning, implementation, and oversight of Bihar’s government-funded adolescent health programs while exploring pathways for integrating preconception care to improve the health and well-being of women and girls. The program is funded by the Gates Foundation and implemented in Bihar, in close partnership with the Government of Bihar, the Piramal Foundation, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Patna.
In Bihar, around one in ten adolescents are either pregnant or give birth before they turn 19. About 42% of married women of reproductive age want to postpone pregnancy by two or more years after marriage; however, only 9% use contraception in first two years of marriage. Pregnancy under such circumstances combined with delayed antenatal care (ANC) increases maternal and child mortality rates. These challenges contribute to high neonatal mortality of 32/1000 in Bihar.
Through this program and with our partners, we provide technical assistance to the Government of Bihar in two key areas: (1) identifying system-level capacity gaps and optimizing the coordination and planning of adolescent health programs to ensure the effective delivery of high-quality services, and (2) exploring platforms to deliver preconception care to newly married women—including adolescents and women who are planning to become pregnant.
This project builds on our strong existing relationship and longstanding partnership with the Government of Bihar to scale innovations and best practices learnt from almost 10 years working in Bihar. We support the Government of Bihar to identify critical gaps and priorities within adolescent health programs at the state and district levels and design strategies for streamlined planning and implementation.
Throughout our program activities, we integrate our Gender, Youth, and Social-Inclusion (GYSI) tools to aid in reflection and discussion and to challenge and change harmful gender, age, and other related norms that negatively impact adolescent health programming and outcomes in Bihar.
This program will carry out a rapid qualitative assessment to identify barriers and opportunities for improving adolescent health programs. With partners, we will collaboratively identify and ensure review of adolescent health programs and develop action plans outlining roles and responsibilities, supporting government leadership and local partners to develop a sustainability plan, with the aim of transitioning technical support to the government and partners by 2026.
To strengthen this initiative, we will establish a diverse Youth Advisory Group (YAG) in Bihar, bringing together young leaders with experience in adolescent health programs. Prioritizing inclusivity, the YAG will represent a wide range of youth perspectives, promote gender equality, and amplify the voices of marginalized groups, including youth with disabilities.
