Spring 2015 Global Health Practitioner Conference

ANNOUNCEMENTS, DAILY SCHEDULE, AND UPDATES

Board of Directors Slate
Judy Lewis, Chair, CORE Group Board of Directors

NEW INFORMATION CIRCUIT

TABLE 1 | Accurate and Acceptable Tools for Community Health Workers to Detect Childhood Pneumonia
Hosted by: Kevin Baker, Programme Coordinator – Pneumonia Diagnostics, Malaria Consortium

Pneumonia remains the number one infectious killer of children in the world. While timely case management could save many lives, there is an apparent lack of tools for effective diagnosis of symptoms to guide treatment actions. Malaria Consortium is currently conducting a large scale evaluation of pneumonia diagnostic tools in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The project’s aim is to identify the most accurate and acceptable respiratory rate timers and pulse oximeters for the detection of childhood pneumonia symptoms by community health workers and first-level health facility workers in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda and Cambodia. This New Info Circuit table presented the study design and share preliminary findings from the initial stages of the project.

TABLE 2 | Addressing Disrespect and Abuse of Women During Pregnancy and Childbirth
Hosted by: Anjali Madeira, MPH, RN, American Refugee Committee

Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) is gaining momentum in the international community as a framework for advancing the quality of care for women in childbirth. This discussion focused on: 1) understanding the causes of disrespectful and abusive maternity care practices, 2) examining the short and long-term impacts of poor care on women, newborns and families, and 3) identifying potential interventions and opportunities for organizational collaboration to address the challenge. We also presented preliminary results from a recent qualitative study on birth perceptions conducted among Burmese mothers and maternity care providers in and around refugee camps in Thailand.

TABLE 3 | Advocacy at the Right Place and Right Time: The Entry Point Mapping Tool
Hosted by: Jeremy Kanthor, DAI/USAID Health Finance and Governance Project

Civil society organizations (CSOs), particularly those working in the health sector, frequently seek opportunities to influence public health policy or share feedback on the quality or accessibility of health services. While these organizations may have important contributions to make, they often are not aware of the most effective and accessible entry points to use. Entry Point Mapping provides a methodology for systemic review and identification of mechanisms, forums and public platforms by which civil society organizations can participate in health sector policy formulation, program implementation, and oversight. The New Info Circuit Table presentation included an interactive overview of the Entry Point Mapping approach with practical lessons from the tool’s application in Bangladesh. Entry Point Mapping is a strong compliment to the CORE Group’s work on social accountability.

TABLE 4 | Community Communication Tools for SBCC re: MNCH Norms
Hosted by: Susan B. Aradeon, Independent Consultant

Community Communication is a Social and Behavior Change Communication approach that empowers health workers and volunteers (including non-literate, low-status women) to facilitate health promotion sessions disseminating MNCH decision-making information while providing space for group reflection. Thirty volunteers lead multiple, small groups of their own peers during four sessions spread over a month sharing healthier information and attitudes. The volunteers rely on innovative, participatory communication tools that enable their group members to learn, recall and then share the health information themselves. Thus, the community members become the communicators spreading social approval for adoption of healthier behaviors and generating healthier MNCH norms. Table participants practiced several interactive health communication tools: the Vaccination Hand, the Maternal Danger Signs Body Tools and the Diarrhea Transmission Mime. They experienced the benefits of Rapid Imitation Practice–our participatory method for learning and teaching that makes it easier for the volunteer health promoters to own the tools and health information. Table participants discussed the advantages of these Community Communication tools and similar communication tools being used by other programs. The UKaid-funded Community Communication e-Manual and Job Aids for MNCH sessions developed during PATHS, JHCCP and Mannion Daniels sub-contracts were available.

TABLE 5 | Compiling and Sharing of Community-based Innovations in HIV/AIDS among Various Stakeholders
Hosted by: TJ James, Independent Consultant

Various Stakeholders has experimented and developed innovations in various aspects of HIV/AIDs management. Many of these innovations are not coming to limelight and confined to reports and conference proceedings. The novel idea proposed is to compile these innovations and sharing among various stakeholders for further adaptation, refinement and development, without reinventing the wheel again. I have worked as the Technical Manager for the SHARE project implemented by VHS Chennai and supported by USAID. The project is essentially for knowledge transfer between India and Africa. I have noted there are several innovations that have already been done in both India and Africa , which were unnoticed and neglected. We have compiled more than 70 innovations in various aspects of HIV/AIDS care, and many of these innovations could be replicated, adapted and shared among various stakeholders.

TABLE 6 | Digital Content Library for Health Workers
Hosted by: Lesley-Anne Long, mPowering Frontline Health Workers

mPowering presented its content platform, which connects frontline health workers to free digital training resources on mobile devices. We provided an introduction and demo of the site on several devices. Participants were able to practice accessing and uploading content, and participated in a question and answer session.

TABLE 7 | Do Rights Matter? How to Take a Rights-based Approach to Family Planning Programs, and Why We Should
Hosted by: Elizabeth Arlotti-Parish, EngenderHealth

Reproductive rights are human rights. But so what—as long as we can give more women greater access to family planning services and commodities, why does it matter how we do it? Here’s why: with a rights-based approach, it is not just the outcomes that are important (though a rights-based approach does improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes), the process is important as well. With voluntary, rights-based family planning, the client is empowered to make the ultimate decision regarding his or her reproductive health. A rights-based approach may include clinical training and supply chain improvements, and rights-centered versions of many other traditional family planning interventions, but it also goes beyond the clinic door and takes a holistic view of the factors at the individual, community, and even policy levels that affect the client’s ability to make that decision. But how can one program do ALL that? Human rights is a BIG issue, and we just work on health programs. How can we even figure out where to start? How do we know what will have the biggest impact? (Can’t we just go back to making sure the supply chain works?…) This table discussion introduced participants to two tools, the Voluntary Rights-Based Family Planning Framework, and Checkpoints for Choice, which guide users through a practical process to introduce NGO staff, ministry of health actors, clinicians, and communities to the basic tenets of human rights and identify gaps where their family planning programs may include subtle or overt coercion or barriers to clients’ rights being met, at the facility level and beyond. Once these issues are identified, the tools help participants adapt existing activities to ensure that clients’ rights are met, often in ways that do not require additional funding or new activities. With a rights-based approach, implementers often do not need to do different things, they just need to do things differently. We introduced these tools, shared EngenderHealth’s experience in rolling them out with the Ministry of Health in Uganda, and brainstormed next steps for expanding their use and generating evidence on their effectiveness.

TABLE 8 | Family Planning through Faith-based Health Networks: Where We Are & Where We Could Go
Hosted by: Lauren VanEnk, Institute for Reproductive Health

The Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) at Georgetown University has teamed up with four faith-based health networks in East Africa—Caritas Rwanda, Action Familiale Rwandaise (AFR), Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau (UCMB), and Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau (UPMB)—to improve the capacity of their family planning programs. Each of these faith-based health networks, which include both Catholic and Protestant organizations, had a demonstrated commitment to family planning even before the project began. The aim of the project is to assess their current scope of family planning activity and strengthen it by expanding the method mix through fertility awareness-based options consistent with their faith traditions and improving access to services. A special emphasis is given to equipping community-based health agents as service providers and sensitizing religious leaders as family planning champions. The capacity building strategy addresses six fundamental building blocks of strong family planning programs: Provider training, Awareness raising/Demand Generation; Supportive Supervision, Data Collection, Commodity Logistics, and Creating a Supportive Environment. Participants in this session developed an appreciation for the contribution of faith-based health networks in family planning service provision, gained an understanding of the current state of family planning programs in select faith-based health networks in Africa (what are partners doing, what are the gaps, what is the intervention), and discovered a capacity building strategy for improving family planning programs.

TABLE 9 | Findings from a Formative Assessment of Emergency Contraception Pills at the Community Level in Uganda
Hosted by: Leigh Wynne, Advancing Partners & Communities Project

While community-based family planning provision is one of the most efficient ways to ensure access to family planning services in underserved areas, emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) remain relatively under-used globally and more so in rural areas. A few countries, such as Uganda, India,and Bangladesh, provide ECPs at the community level, but they remain exceptions. With little time or effort, community health workers —male or female, paid or volunteer, literate or illiterate—can be trained to safely provide ECPs in their communities. Participants joined us to discuss community-based provision of ECPs and to hear the findings from a recent formative assessment in Uganda examining existing consumer knowledge and use of ECPs, as well as the capacity and barriers of provision of ECPs by community health workers.

TABLE 10 | High Impact Practices in Family Planning (Briefs, Interactive Map, and More!)
Hosted by: Ados Velez May, IBP Secretariat

High Impact Practices (HIPs) are effective service delivery or systems interventions that when scaled up and institutionalized, will maximize investments in a comprehensive family planning strategy. HIPs help programs focus resources for greatest impact. Participants used the interactive map to connect with other programs implementing HIPs and learn from other’s successes and challenges. We had a computer to take map submissions and show current posts.

TABLE 11 | How Can We Improve Family Planning Referrals If We Don’t Know What Works? Findings from a Situation Analysis of Community-Based Family Planning Referrals
Hosted by: Elena Lebetkin, FHI 360 – Advancing Partners & Communities Project

Given the current limitations of community health worker provision of family planning (FP) to short acting methods, clear evidence is needed on the most effective, cost efficient, and scaleable ways to get women the FP methods they want at the time they need them. The current literature on referrals, especially for community-based FP referrals, is minimal. This New Info Circuit Table described the findings from the Advancing Partners & Communities Project Situation Analysis, which reviewed the evidence on current models of community-to-facility referrals for long acting and permanent methods of FP. The Situation Analysis included a review of published and grey literature as well as key informant interviews. Table participants discussed the findings, including recommendations on promising referral models that could be tested for effectiveness as well as an agenda for future research.

TABLE 12 | Improving Medicines Access and Use for Child Health- A Guide to Developing Interventions
Hosted by: Jane Briggs, SIAPS/MSH

“Improving Medicines Access and Use for Child Health—A Guide to Developing Interventions” represents an up-to-date and practical resource for those developing interventions to improve access to and use of medicines for child illness. It targets groups working in community organizations, health facilities, and district health offices or within larger health systems. The Guide adopts a structured approach to lead a team through five steps—from identifying and exploring problems to developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions—and includes a library of resources. The Guide could be particularly useful in a district strengthening type project. The session included an introduction to the guide and how to use it, as well as a demonstration of how to navigate the guide and its resources.

TABLE 13 | Incorporating Best Practices from the Private Sector to Build, Motivate and Manage CHW Cadres: Learning from Living Goods’ Evidence-based Model
Hosted by: Molly Christiansen, Living Goods

Living Goods empowers entrepreneurial community health workers to deliver life-saving products and services to the doorsteps of the poor. Recent RCT evaluation results show that Living Goods community health worker platform is reducing under five child mortality by over 25% in Uganda. Living Goods employs a business model that is highly cost-effective—it recovers 100% of the cost of the products, generates retail margin to pay and motivate the CHWs, as well as a wholesale margin to cover some of its operating costs, such that the net cost is less than $2 per person annually. Living Goods brings an entrepreneurial business model and best practices from the private sector to effectively build, motivate and manage high-performing CHW cadres.

TABLE 14 | Interventions to Improve Community Health Worker Motivation and Performance
Hosted by: Daniel Strachan, UCL Institute for Global Health

This table presented preliminary results from the inSCALE project’s cluster-randomised controlled trials in Uganda and Mozambique. The six-year project has evaluated the effect of innovations to improve community health worker (CHW) performance, motivation and retention. The innovations were designed in the context of integrated community case management of childhood illnesses (iCCM) with the aim of increasing coverage of appropriate treatment for sick children. Two innovative strategies were evaluated: an mHealth intervention in both countries and an additional community participatory intervention in Uganda. In the mHealth intervention, CHWs were given mobile phones with which they can send their weekly reports, receive immediate automated feedback on performance and access a closed user group with their supervisors in order to increase communication and support. Every month a motivational performance related SMS is sent out, and supervisors receive weekly automated actionable messages for CHWs who are performing at high or low standards. In Mozambique, the mHealth intervention also included a multimedia job aid, which uses an algorithm to guide CHWs through a consultation. The community participatory intervention focused on Village Health Clubs, which aim to improve child health through a community-led forum with the CHWs as the main focus point. Village Health Clubs are intended to provide a forum where CHWs and community members who are part of the club can work together to identify child health and CHWs challenges. They use village networks, knowledge, creativity and other community assets to help solve child health problems.

TABLE 15 | Linking Facility and Community Systems: Improving Utilization of HIV, Nutrition and Economic Strengthening Services through Referrals
Hosted by: Clinton Sears, FHI 360

The Livelihoods and Food Security Technical Assistance II Project (LIFT) has been working with 17 health facilities in Malawi’s Central Region (Lilongwe and Kasungu Districts) to improve access to food and economic support as a component of the continuum of care for vulnerable individuals affected by HIV and AIDS. The project established bi-directional referrals between health facilities and village savings and loan associations (VSLAs) and food support services. In order to do this, LIFT sensitized front line staff at clinics and VSLAs to the referral approach, trained 33 referral volunteers (RVs) who work closely with Ministry of Health frontline staff at the facility and community levels, and worked with VSLAs to make methodological adjustments to include clients referred from health facilities. Community-led sensitization campaigns by VSLA agents and RVs resulted in an ever-growing interest from VSLAs to accept referred clients, providing access to savings services and financial education within existing VSLA groups. In total 2,769 VSLAs (1,092 in Lilongwe and 677 in Kasungu) have been engaged to date and are ready to receive new clients. In the first 4 months of operations, a total of 1,213 referrals were made in the two districts (1,143 clients were referred from health facilities to VSLAs; 45 clients were referred from health facilities to food support; and 25 clients were referred from VSLA to a health facility). The level of utilization of referred services by clients ranged from 82% in Lilongwe and 97% in Kasungu. These referrals are improving the overall wellbeing and productivity of PLHIV, and aim to improve adherence to ART and retention in HIV-related care. This work has been a collaborative effort between CARE USA, CARE Malawi, and FHI 360. LIFT presented this new accelerated linkage approach and initial results, and discussed the methodology used to put these linkages in place, including utilization of existing community systems and local resources for improved uptake and sustainability. The presenter also discussed successes and challenges from the implementation experience, as well as overall client level impacts seen to date based on this extended continuum of care.

TABLE 16 | mHealth: Tools You Can Use
Hosted by: Laura Raney, MCSP/Jhpiego

Provided an overview of mHealth – the use of mobile and wireless technologies to support the achievement of health objectives. Handouts included 30 Common questions about mHealth (with answers and resources), handout on platforms for mobile data collection, and mHealth online resources.

TABLE 17 | New Resource to Improve Women’s Health through Community-based Action
Hosted by: Robin Young, Hesperian Health Guides

While information about women’s health proliferates on topics including sexuality, family planning, unsafe abortion, HIV, and violence against women, few resources exist which help health educators reduce stigma, foster dialogue, and include men in behavior change communication. To address this gap, Hesperian created new material based on the experiences of our global grassroots partners. This material included activities, stories, and tools derived from the experiences of women and communities globally to address social barriers, attitudes, and practices that harm women and girls. During development, the material was reviewed by professional health care providers and experienced organizers and was field-tested by community-based groups in 23 countries. Pre-publication field-testing found that 17 organizations in 14 countries reported increased comfort addressing controversial topics after field-testing. Over 80% of respondents reported feeling significantly more comfortable when presenting on topics, including “How gender roles affect health,” “Sexuality,” and “Violence against women,” than they had prior to the field-testing process. Field testing concluded in 2013. In February of 2015, Hesperian released a health education and community organizing resource titled Health Action for Women, which is currently undergoing a process to make it freely available online. Women’s health information is the most frequently accessed of Hesperian’s free online health information, with 2.5 million unique visitors to Hesperian’s digital material in 2014. Most popular search terms include, “Safe methods of abortion,” “Danger signs during pregnancy,” “genital infections” and “family planning.” Health Action for Women compliments this material by providing health educators with tools needed to take action to improve women’s health.

TABLE 18 | Strengthening Community-Facility Linkages to Improve PMTCT
Hosted by: Chewe Luo, UNICEF

This session focused on strategies for strengthening community-facility linkages to support prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV and improved maternal and infant health. We shared 11 promising practices and operational guidance for strengthening community-facility linkages and discussed opportunities for using these resources in different programming contexts.The 11 promising practices were identified through research on community-facility linkages for PMTCT, including lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) and maternal and infant health. A practice was defined as promising if there was a documented correlation with increased service uptake, adherence or retention, preferably in more than one setting. The methods used included literature review, stakeholder consultation and country visits. The promising practices are: 1) Individual client support by peers, community health workers, or “buddies”; 2) Participatory women’s groups; 3) Targeted food assistance; 4) Community case management; 5) mHealthfocused on client communication; 6) Active outreach, including home visits; 7) Positive male involvement in antenatal care and PMTCT; 8) Purposeful engagement of community leaders; 9) Engagement of local organizations; 10) Community-based HIV testing; and 11) Community-based distribution. Our session involved an interactive presentation and sharing of the evidence and experiences of our participants in their own programs. N.B. This research activity was commissioned by UNICEF with financial support from the governments of Norway and Sweden.

TABLE 19 | Using mHealth to Support Integration across the MCH Continuum
Hosted by: Steve Ollis, D-tree International

We demonstrated and described our tools developed in Malawi to support Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs) to provide care to their communities. These mobile tools support the HSAs in the following areas: antenatal care, postnatal care, under 5 care, immunizations and stock management. We also discussed our plans to integrate additional health areas and sharing of referral information between the village clinics and health facilities. These tools will be in use in over 500 village clinics in hard-to-reach areas in Malawi by the end of 2015.

TABLE 20 | Using the Continuum of Care to Identify Barriers and Design Solutions for Community-based NCD Care in India
Hosted by: Dasha Migunov, Abt Associates

In response to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide and an urgent need for NCD support at the country level, HealthRise, a new project funded by Medtronic Philanthropy, aims to expand access to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes care for the underserved through demonstration projects in select sites in India, South Africa, the US, and Brazil. To guide the design of these demonstration projects, HealthRise uses a Continuum of Care framework that enables a quantitative and qualitative assessment of both the demand for CVD and diabetes care by individuals within a community and the supply of care delivered by a health system. HealthRise then uses the barriers, needs and opportunities identified by this assessment to engage multi-sectoral stakeholders in the design of community-based demonstration projects that address priority points along the continuum. At this table we provided an introduction to the HealthRise approach, including our Continuum of Care framework. We then explained how we used the Continuum of Care to first identify NCD care barriers and opportunities within our selected communities in India and then engage local stakeholders in the design of community-based interventions that address these barriers and leverage opportunities. Following our presentation, we engaged participants in a brief group activity that draws from the HealthRise India program as a case study.

WORKING GROUP TIME

Community Child Health (met with Malaria)
Co-Chairs: Alfonso Rosales, World Vision; Alan Talens, World Renew

The Community Child Health and Malaria Working Groups hosted a presentation on “Case Management and Care-seeking for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea in Six African Countries after an Integrated Health Systems Strengthening Intervention.” The presenter was Debra Jackson, Senior Health Scientist, Knowledge Management & Implementation Research Unit, Health Section, UNICEF.

UNICEF shared the findings and conclusions of the external summative evaluation of the Integrated Health Systems Strengthening (IHSS) program-funded by UNICEF and DFATD Canada in targeted countries in Africa: Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, and Niger. The aim of the IHSS program was to strengthen health systems, with an emphasis on training and equipping front-line health workers to deliver a package of essential, high-impact interventions and services. A primary focus of the IHSS was on CHWs and scaling-up integrated community case management for diarrhea, malaria, and pneumonia. UNICEF commissioned the South Africa Medical Research Council to conduct the summative evaluation of the IHSS.

HIV/AIDS
Co-Chairs: Gloria Ekpo, World Vision; Jean Claude Kazadi Mwayabo, Catholic Relief Services

The HIV/AIDS Working Group reviewed technical accomplishments from FY15, discussed current priorities and strategic directions for working group members, and began drafting its FY16 workplan.

M&E
Co-Chairs: Todd Nitkin, Medical Teams International

The M&E Working Group sought a new chair and explored member interests and new activities. Participants joined the group to review technical accomplishments from FY15, discuss current priorities and strategic directions for working group members, and begin drafting the FY16 workplan.

Malaria (met with CCH)
Co-Chairs: Suzanne Van Hulle, Catholic Relief Services

The Malaria and Community Child Health Working Groups hosted a presentation on “Case Management and Care-seeking for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea in Six African Countries after an Integrated Health Systems Strengthening Intervention.” See the CCH description for more information.

Nutrition (met with SBC)
Co-Chairs: Jen Burns, International Medical Corps; Justine Kavle, PATH; Kathryn Reider, World Vision

On Wednesday, the Nutrition working group joined the SBC working group. During this time they identified the human resources within the two groups and came up with a plan on how to collectively contribute to strategic program learning to advance social and behavior change in terms of nutrition programming. Additionally, they mapped existing technical briefs regarding SBC, nutrition, WASH, ECD, agriculture, adolescent nutrition, anemia, etc. by key stakeholders (e.g., USAID, SPRING, FSN, UNICEF, WHO).

Safe Motherhood & Reproductive Health
Co-Chairs: Carolyn Kruger PCI; Tanvi Monga, ICF/MCHIP; Amy Metzger, Christian Connections for International Health

The SMRH Working Group reviewed technical accomplishments from FY15, discussed current priorities and strategic directions for working group members, and began drafting its FY16 workplan.

SMRH Working Group

Social Behavior Change (met with Nutrition)
Co-Chairs: Kamden Hoffman, INSIGHT: Innovative Social Change in Global Health, LLC; Paul Robinson, International Medical Corps; Lenette Golding, Futures Group

On Wednesday, the Nutrition working group joined the SBC working group. During this time they identified the human resources within the two groups and came up with a plan on how to collectively contribute to strategic program learning to advance social and behavior change in terms of nutrition programming. Additionally, they mapped existing technical briefs regarding SBC, nutrition, WASH, ECD, agriculture, adolescent nutrition, anemia, etc. by key stakeholders (e.g., USAID, SPRING, FSN, UNICEF, WHO).

Tuberculosis
Co-Chairs: Anne Detjen, The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease; Gagik Karapetyan, World Vision; Petra Stankard, PSI

The TB Working Group reviewed technical accomplishments from FY15, discussed current priorities and strategic directions for working group members, and began drafting its FY16 workplan.

LUNCHTIME ROUNDTABLE

CORE Group Country Partnerships in Selected USAID EPCMD Countries
Karen LeBan, CORE Group; Judy Lewis, CORE Board of Directors; David Shanklin, USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program; Alfonso Rosales, World Vision US

CORE Group and member organization staff summarized activities taking place in selected countries to address Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths through USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program. Recent activities were discussed for Haiti and Ethiopia, as well as plans for entering additional countries.

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

WHO Building Blocks Platform for Health Systems Strengthening: Where are Communities?
David Shanklin, USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP)/CORE Group; Emma Sacks, MCSP/ICF International; Eric Sarriot, MCSP/ICF International

This was an interactive session to reconsider the WHO Building Blocks for Health Systems Strengthening (HSS). The session began with presentations on work achieved through the CORE Group Community Child Health Working Group and MCSP in recent months, including 1) advances by a small working group to identify gaps in the WHO Building Blocks and the need to broaden the advocacy of community health within the context of national health equity, 2) a linked literature review and the development of definitions of key terms and preliminary review of the evidence for shared understanding and consensus, and 3) how this work ties to larger issues of systems research and the advancement of USAID’s agenda of ending preventable child maternal death (EPCMD). These presentations were followed by small group work to advance the theme in the context of finalizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) later this year.

WHO Building Blocks_Sacks

WHO Building Blocks_

Enhancing Nutrition and Food Security during the First 1000 Days through Gender-sensitive Social and Behavioral Change
Moderator: Kamden Hoffmann, INSIGHT: Innovative Social Change in Global Health; Megan Ivankovich, WI-HER LLC; Mahmuda Rahman Khan, USAID Bangladesh

Gender integration is increasingly considered a best practice and evidence suggests it leads to improved maternal and child health outcomes; however, the use of strategies to change gender-related behaviors surrounding nutrition has been insufficiently studied. CORE Group, together with partner WI-HER LLC, was awarded a USAID Technical and Operational Performance Support (TOPS) Program Micro Grant to strengthen the capacity of development practitioners working in nutrition and security to design, implement, and evaluate gender-sensitive social and behavioral change (SBC) programming in order to improve nutritional outcomes. This guidance is based on the 1000 Days Approach, which prioritizes the critical period between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday to maximize impact, thus pregnant and lactating women and children under two are the target beneficiaries for this work. While the research focuses on work conducted in the USAID-funded Food for Peace countries that have active development projects, findings may be applicable to similar projects in other countries. After conducting a literature review, project audit, and practitioner interviews, a technical brief, field guide, and webinar are being developed that present the rationale, best practices, tips, and tools for integrating gender-sensitive SBC into project activities. This concurrent session provided an overview of the methodology used to conduct this work and present all research findings, with a focus on sharing clear approaches, recommendations, and tools to promote gender-sensitive SBC to improve nutrition outcomes within the context of nutrition and food security projects. In addition, guest speakers presented on projects that have successfully implemented relevant gender-sensitive SBC programming to improve nutrition outcomes. Finally, attendees engaged in a discussion about their experience implementing such programs.

Enhancing Nutrition and Food Security_Ivankovich

mHealth Across the Continuum of Care
Jeremy Wacksman, Mike O’Donnell, and Sheel Shah, Dimagi Inc.

Are you interested in mHealth but only aware of limited applications? Have you wondered how mHealth tools could support a program across the continuum of care? This session explored general ideas about how mHealth can be used to support care over time and coordination among different actors in the health system. Following an introductory presentation and facilitated discussion, the facilitators worked with break-out groups to dive into several specific case studies. These illustrated different types of use cases, and explored implementation feasibility, cost considerations, and interface with other aspects of care, and other parts of the public health system. Each group discussed their case study, outlined the key issues they saw, and made recommendations for the future of their project. Participants reported back their findings and the facilitators helped synthesize these into some key takeaways on how to think about mHealth across the continuum of care.

mHealth Across the Continuum of Care

Overcoming Financial Barriers to Health Services—What Can Communities Do?
Cassie Chandler, Freedom from Hunger; Catherine Connor, Health Finance & Governance Project; Tom Shaw, Catholic Relief Services; Molly Christiansen, Living Goods

Health financing is an essential input in the quest to improve health service access among the poor. Healthcare costs remain a significant obstacle, allowing improved health knowledge and geographical access to go only so far. This session explored and discussed different approaches for health financing at the community level. Panelists shared experiences around health microinsurance, health savings, and other strategies to increase the uptake of essential health services.

Overcoming Financial Barriers_Connor

Overcoming Financial Barriers_Shaw

PLENARY

Speed Networking
Jay Heavner, John Snow, Inc.

Speed networking is a fast-paced and fun way to make new connections with other public health professionals. This version came to you from Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg, where it was always the most popular session at the annual summit of suppliers of HIV/AIDS commodities for the Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) project. Participants brought at least 20 business cards to share; we brought the vuvuzela. Ready! Set! Get to know each other in three minutes! Now switch!

Speed Networking

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