Countdown has focused on direct country-level impact since 2006. After the first-ever global Countdown to 2030 meeting, held in London in 2005, Senegal became the first country to hold a national Countdown conference, bringing together government leaders, private and public partners, and the research community to review progress in child survival. Senegal’s national Countdown event led to a number of new commitments including the development of a new plan for child survival to complement the existing national Roadmap for Maternal Health.
Zambia organised a similar national Countdown event following the global Countdown conference in Cape Town in 2008: one concrete action that resulted was an increase in places at Zambian midwifery schools.
In 2010, following the global Countdown meeting held at the Women Deliver conference in Washington, D.C., Nigeria embarked on an Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Strategy. Nigeria produced a national report, and regularly produces up-to-date child and maternal health profiles for each of its 36 states, modeled on the Countdown country profiles. These sub-national profiles, which were used at national and local-level events to identify progress and constraints, led to increased commitments by the government and its partners.
Country interest broadened when the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health identified the Country Countdown as an important strategy for improving monitoring and follow-through on the Commission’s recommendations, as well as on the Pledge to end preventable child deaths.
In recent years, Countdown’s country-level activities have focused on working with country-based research teams to conduct in-depth case studies of national progress for women’s and children’s survival. Country case studies have been completed, and the results published in peer-reviewed journals, in Niger, Bangladesh, and Tanzania; studies are near completion and publication in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Malawi, Pakistan, and Peru,; and case studies are still underway in China and Kenya.
Articles, reports, briefing notes, and tools produced as part of these national Countdown processes are available for download below:
Afghanistan Country Case Study
Bangladesh Country Case Study
Countdown Country Case Study Brief: Bangladesh (2014)
- El Arifeen S, Hill K, Ahsan KZ, et al,
Maternal mortality in Bangladesh: a Countdown to 2015 country case study. Lancet, 30 June 2014
China Country Case Study
- Progress and challenges in maternal health in western China: a Countdown to 2015 national case study. Gao, Y et al. The Lancet Global Health , Volume 0 , Issue 0. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(17)30100-6/fulltext?rss=yes
Ethiopia Country Case Study
Ethiopia Country Case Study Brief, June 2015
- Policy brief:
COUNTDOWN TO A HEALTHIER ETHIOPIA: Building on Successes to Accelerate Newborn Survival, June 2015
- Ethiopia case study results to be published in 2015.
Kenya Country Case Study
- Kenya case study results to be published in 2015-16.
‘Kenya Country Countdown: Why? What? How? Progress to-date’ (May 2013)
Malawi Country Case Study
Malawi Country Case Study Brief, July 2015
- Bryce J, Colbourn T et al, Malawi and Millennium Development Goal 4: a Countdown to 2015 country case study. Lancet Global Health, 21 January 2016. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(15)00294-6.
PDF
- Infographics, July 2015
- ‘LET’S CELEBRATE! Malawi has been a pioneer among her African neighbours and has saved 280,000 children’s lives’ (July 2015)
Posters: ‘This newborn could be…’
Niger
- Slide presentation:
Case Study: Maternal & Child Health in Niger (Countdown to 2015)(260.84 KB)
- Amouzou A, Habi O, Bensaïd K, Reduction in child mortality in Niger: a Countdown to 2015 country case study. Lancet, 21 September 2012.
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61376- 2 (776.92 KB)
Nigeria
- 2014 Nigeria State Data Profiles: new RMNCH data profiles at national level and for each of Nigeria’s 36 states
Country Countdown process/experience summary: Nigeria
Newborn Health Report, 2nd edition, 2011
Newborn Health Report, Executive Summary
Media briefing
Sample sub-national profile
Pakistan Country Case Study
- Pakistan case study results to be published in 2015.
Peru Country Case Study
Peru case study paper
Peru case study comment
- Technical meeting to present preliminary results
Senegal
Country Countdown process/experience summary: Senegal
- Conference agenda (French)
- Conference report (French)
- Post-meeting action plan (French)
Tanzania Country Case Study
Countdown Country Case Study Brief: Tanzania, June 2015
- Afnan-Holmes H, Magoma M et al, Tanzania’s Countdown to 2015: an analysis of two decades of progress and gaps for reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health, to inform priorities for post-2015. Lancet Global Health, 16 June 2015.
Country Countdown policy brief: Women and Children First: Countdown to ending preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths in Tanzania (2014)
Slide presentation: Country case study results (2014)
Tanzanian National Report Card (2014)
Message from Countdown to 2015 to Country Countdown event (2014)
Situation analysis of newborn health in Tanzania (2009)
Sample sub-national profile (2009)
Zambia
Country Countdown process/experience summary: Zambia
Conference report
Report: progress on the MDGs
Country Countdown profile: Zambia
Country Countdown: The Zambian Story — a slide presentation from Dr. Victor Mukonka, featuring lessons learned from Zambia’s pioneering Country Countdown experience
Events and Media Engagement — a slide presentation by Dr. Victor Mukonka, with tips on organizing a Country Countdown event and attracting media attention from Zambia’s experience