- Cases
- Chad, Niger
Designing Community-Led Health Innovations including integration of Psycho-Social Support
01 Situation
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, and Niger, rural women face significant barriers to accessing maternal healthcare. Geographic isolation, high service costs, and lack of infrastructure contribute to preventable maternal and neonatal deaths. These challenges expose deep inequalities in access to emergency care and critical health support during childbirth.
02 Assignment
The initiative aimed to identify sustainable, community-driven mechanisms that could both anticipate and reduce the financial burden of obstetric emergencies. The goal: ensure timely and equitable access to maternal health services in underserved rural regions of the three countries.
03 Approach
Proportion Global trained local teams in Human-Centered Design (HCD), equipping them to lead user research within their own communities. Through immersive fieldwork and insight-driven ideation, locally embedded solutions emerged. Ideas were shaped collaboratively—by those most affected and those best positioned to act.
04 Result
The co-design process produced five contextualised interventions: waiting houses, emergency tricycle transport, a women-led community farm, a rotating tontine system, and health-focused community resource centers—each tailored to reduce delays, financial barriers, and knowledge gaps in maternal care access. Importantly, psycho-social support was embedded within the resource centers and waiting houses, offering safe spaces and peer support to strengthen emotional well-being alongside clinical care.
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