The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded a grant of over €7 million to the ROOTS1000 project by an international consortium led by academic lead Dr Zemzem Shigute Shuka (International Institute of Social Studies) and Professor Matthias Rieger (Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management), both Erasmus University Rotterdam. The project builds on global partnerships developed over many years and is part of the Rotterdam Global Health Initiative (RGHI).
At a time when international development assistance for health is under pressure, ROOTS1000 focuses on a critical period in the lives of mothers and children: the first 1,000 days, from pregnancy to a child's second birthday. UNICEF identifies this as the most critical period for good nutrition, growth and development.
Learning across different health systems
Researchers, local experts and other partners across Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Indonesia and Pakistan will investigate how effective interventions in these first 1000 days can be better integrated into health systems, financed and sustained. ROOTS1000 builds on existing evidence to develop and evaluate integrated care approaches that bring together maternal mental health, obstetric care, nutrition and early child development interventions and explore how these approaches can be sustainably implemented and scaled in local health systems and their financing structures. The project aims to produce evidence and guidance that can support more integrated and sustainable approaches to maternal and child health and development.
'If we really want to make changes in those crucial and vulnerable first 1000 days, we need communities, policy makers, implementers, researchers and practitioners from different fields and contexts to work together as equitable partners. And that is exactly what the ROOTS1000 consortium is doing.'
Zemzem Shigute Shuka, Principal Investigator of ROOTS1000
Fragmented care
His Excellency Demeke Mekonnen, Founder and Chairman of the YADAM Foundation (Ethiopia) and member of the International Advisory Committee of the ROOTS1000 consortium, underscored how the project contributes to advancing human development at its most critical stage in low- and middle-income countries: 'The first 1,000 days mark the creation phase that shapes what a child can become. Yet care for mothers and young children is often fragmented, from antenatal and delivery care to nutrition, mental health and early childhood development. Many families still face costs and institutional barriers that keep them from seeking care.
'ROOTS1000 tackles these gaps directly. Through co-creation and equitable partnership with governments and communities, it will generate and synthesize the evidence to integrate care, finance it sustainably and scale locally owned solutions. In this way, mothers and children not only survive but thrive, building stronger families, more resilient communities and a brighter future for our countries.'
About ROOTS1000
ROOTS1000, short for Research on Opportunities for Optimal Thriving and Scalability in the First 1000 Days, is a 66-month international research programme. The consortium consists of the following work packages:
- Evidence, gap mapping and synthesis (led by Ajay Bailey - Utrecht University)
- Health system financing (Igna Bonfrer – Erasmus University Rotterdam)
- Integrated care: maternal mental health, obstetric care and nutrition (Anke Witteveen - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
- Community-based maternal care approaches (Arjun Bedi – Erasmus University Rotterdam)
- Early child development (Sara Naicker - University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa)
- Co-creation and reflective learning in equitable partnerships (Peninah Masibo – Amref International University, Kenya)
- Knowledge sharing, dissemination and advocacy (Matthias Rieger and Zemzem Shigute Shuka – Erasmus University Rotterdam)
Each work package is co-led by academics from the five study countries ensuring shared leadership and country ownership of the research agenda. The consortium is embedded in the national and local contexts through strong cooperation partners, including ministries of health, national and international NGOs, community organizations and other implementers, which anchor the work in existing health systems and practice and support the uptake of results. Moreover, each package is supported by relevant topic and context experts based in each of the five countries, the Netherlands and beyond.
'Based on the co-creation process we have followed so far, I am confident that we will contribute to the reduction of maternal mortality and preventable child deaths across the five study countries.'
Alice Lakati, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Community Extension, Amref International University in Kenya
ROOTS1000 consortium
About Rotterdam Health Initiative
The Rotterdam Global Health Initiative (RGHI) is an interdisciplinary network initiated and sponsored by the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Since the start 15 years ago it has evolved into a vibrant community of global partners across more than 30 low- and middle-income countries. Want to know more about the Rotterdam Global Health Initiative? Check this short film and the RGHI website.
RGHI Director Igna Bonfrer about the ROOTS1000 project: 'Through the equitable partnerships, we will sustainably scale-up proven care for mothers and children.'
NWA-ORC programme
The grant for ROOTS1000 comes from the NWA-ORC programme (Research along Routes by Consortia). This programme aims to enable inter- and transdisciplinary innovative research that brings scientific and societal breakthroughs within reach. It is part of the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA).