ILAM: A new project has started in Ilam from this year aimed at saving the lives of mother and their new-born.

One Heart World-Wide, an America-based organisation, is running the five-year project.

In the first year, the project will promote awareness and run behaviour change activities, improve the quality of health service, enhance the capacity of the service providers and improve the quality of service centres to increase the demand for health services.

Similarly, the project will train the health workers and the local community on protection of mothers and infants. It will also carry out activities to activate the social auditing and the health management committee for creating health awareness, said Dinesh Rijal, the Project's district coordinator.

According to Rijal, the organization will carry out repair and maintenance of the birthing centres, provide equipments required for the birthing centres and distribute ultrasound machine and photo-therapy units.