CHAMPS is a 20-year global research project with the goal to identify causes of child mortality and prevent child death through community engagement, diagnostic and laboratory innovations, surveillance network advances, policy-to-action activities and rapid, open access to data.

The Sierra Leone research site is located in Makeni, the largest city of Bombali district, Northern Province. The communities in the catchment area have been sensitized and trained to report child deaths. The local CHAMPS team investigates each reported case and collects data about the deceased child using questionnaires on tablets as well as tissue samples in order to best identify the cause of death.

Key for success of the project is the acceptance of the CHAMPS research team within the community. The community and health care workers need to be willing to report child death cases. In addition, the families of the deceased child need to agree to data and tissue sample collection and cooperate with the CHAMPS research team. Therefore, community engagement workshops as well as ensuring the support of community leaders are an important part of the project.

The collected data is shared with the global CHAMPS research team for further analysis.

• Initial CHAMPS set up Subcontracting community engagement and mortality surveillance

• Informatics and data management support

• Configuration of national hotline (117) for child mortality surveillance

• Partner coordination during project setup