Since June 2019, Constance Yindaya has served Integrate Health as Launch Coordinator on the Integrated Primary Care Program team. A midwife by training, Constance is passionate about human health in general and maternal, child, and reproductive health in particular. Her personal vision is that no pregnant woman dies in childbirth and no child dies from a lack of quality healthcare. This is why she joined Integrate Health, to actively contribute to healthcare delivery for vulnerable populations in Togo.
In her role, Constance coordinates the preparation for and initial implementation of the Integrated Primary Care Program expansion in collaboration with district and regional health directors. Daily, she creates and delivers trainings and reinforces the capacity and confidence of Community Health Worker Supervisors and Clinical Mentors. In addition, Constance plays the important role of helping to maintain a positive relationship between all the actors of the program, including Integrate Health staff, the district and regional authorities, and the communities served.
Despite the change in working hours and the cancellation of some activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Constance was able to conduct all community meetings, Community Health Worker recruitment and training, and facility-based health provider trainings, to ensure the effective launch of the Integrated Primary Care Program in the Kéran district.
“For me, it is a great challenge to be able to carry out all the activities planned for the expansion without incident despite the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. “I am thrilled that we were able to bring the program to the Kéran district, especially with the achievement of the intensive supervision that promises a long-term collaboration with the communities.”
Before joining the Integrate Health team, Constance facilitated prenatal and neonatal care trainings in Chad. Constance recalls having the opportunity to facilitate trainings with diverse participants including midwives, gynecologists, and pediatricians from Chad, Togo, and England. Despite the stress of presenting in front of such a large audience, it was with joy and confidence that Constance accomplished this task so important to her.
Constance’s professional background has made her a strong role model for young Togolese women. “I want to tell girls that being a midwife is a noble profession,” Constance explains, “because midwifery contributes to the reduction of maternal and infant mortality rates worldwide.” Constance’s admiration for the female population extends to Integrate Health’s Community Health Workers, who are for her the cornerstone of the Integrate Health program and leaders in their communities. “The work of Community Health Workers is paramount because they make a difference in the lives of people who suffer every day and give them the chance to live healthy lives,” she says.
Through her experience as a midwife, Constance has witnessed first-hand the need for affordable, universal healthcare. That is why she believes in the mission of Integrate Health and in the program’s visible impact she has seen so far. Integrate Health is very honored to have Constance on our team and aims to join forces with more courageous and engaged women like Constance to lead the way in achieving health for all.