(Rivercess County, Liberia, March 16, 2025)– The Rivercess County Health Team, in partnership with Last Mile Health, has conducted an orientation for Mother-To-Mother Support Groups in the Central C Health District. These community-based groups, established in November 2024, are designed to enhance maternal and child health services across 46 communities. Each group comprises 5 to 7 members, depending on the community’s population size, and is tasked with promoting maternal healthcare awareness and best practices. Central C Health District, one of six health districts in Rivercess County, has the largest land area but only three health facilities. While not classified as a hard-to-reach district, much of its population is scattered across forested regions, with many residents engaged in farming, petty trading, and gold mining. Mining communities, which house some of the district’s largest populations, are located deep in the jungle—an average of 30 kilometers from the nearest health facility—posing a major challenge to healthcare access. Given these challenges, the Mother-To-Mother Support Groups were established to help improve maternal health indicators in the district. The orientation program focused on increasing antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC) visits, promoting family planning uptake, improving immunization coverage, and reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rates. Additionally, the program aims to prevent malaria in pregnancy—a key health concern in the district.

Through peer-to-peer engagement, these groups will serve as an essential platform for information sharing and experience exchange among pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and women of childbearing age. By promoting community-led health education and support networks, the initiative seeks to ensure timely access to essential maternal healthcare services, even in the most remote areas of the district. With the continued support of Last Mile Health, these efforts are expected to enhance maternal and child health outcomes, particularly in underserved and geographically isolated communities within Central C Health District.