Table 1 Partners involved in the mapping
From: Perspectives on the methods of a large systematic mapping of maternal health interventions
 The systematic mapping was initially conceptualised as part of the MASCOT project. However, it soon became apparent that the scale of the project exceeded the resources available in MASCOT. The mapping team thus partnered with another multi-country research project (MHSAR), which had some overlapping objectives. Towards the project end, the team linked with the WHO Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, who were about to embark on a series of systematic reviews to support WHO’s guidelines on health promotion interventions for maternal and newborn health. |
 The MASCOT project, supported by the European Commission’s FP7 research programme, included countries from Europe, Africa and Latin America (http://www.cohred.org/mascot). It consisted of 5 research institutions, 3 university groups and an NGO, representing 11 countries. The overarching aim was to identify and share country-specific strategies for tackling inequalities affecting maternal and child health (MCH). MASCOT also aimed to stimulate knowledge transfer and exchange mechanisms between and within countries for shaping policies, programmes and health actions intended to remediate MCH inequalities. Finally, the project identified coordinating mechanisms for South-South and North-south collaboration, specifically those that examine MCH status, national health research systems’ capacities and best practices, and research supported MCH strategies. |
 Funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO/WOTRO), through its Global Health Policy and Health Systems Research programme, the Maternal Health and Health Systems in South Africa and Rwanda research project (MHSAR) aims to synthesize and generate knowledge on how health systems strengthening can improve maternal health, and which health system initiatives have the largest impact on maternal health. The project consortium includes research centers in two universities in South Africa, one in the Netherlands, and the Ministry of Health in Rwanda. |