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Empowering practice

WEETMAN, Robert
October 2010

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"(T)his book was originally written to accompany a training course for people involved in support work. It's directed at people with the imagination and creativity to recognise that 'how we've always done things around here' isn't a good guide to good practice...The book looks in detail about what can go wrong...about how support can be disempowering...The book goes on to discuss alternative ways of working. It takes a look at what overall aims may be appropriate in support work; how different service design might help; what capacity thinking is; and it presents some ideas on how to work in an empowering way"
Version 2b

Responding to children affected by HIV and AIDS : using external support to strengthen community initiative and motivation

WEAVER, Richard
October 2004

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Substantive international action on HIV and AIDS is not translating into effective responses for those worst affected by the epidemic, particularly children. Instead, it is community-based organisations and community initiatives which are most successful in reaching out to these children, often without being resourced by external sources. This briefing paper highlights the responses and lessons learned by a number of Southern-based partner organisations, and makes recommendations for DFID and other donors

Nonconsensual sex among youth

FINGER, William
et al
March 2004

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Reproductive health and HIV prevention programmes for youth rarely look at the reallity of coercive sex that so many youth face. Coercive sex is a violation of a person's rights and can have severe mental, physical and reproductive health consequences, including pregnancy and HIV and other STIs. This paper highlights a number of key issues: the range of sexual coercion faced by youth; the impact of gender norms on coercion; the consequences of coercion; and programme approaches to reduce the problem

Palliative care in Sub-Saharan Africa : an appraisal

HARDING, Richard
HIGGINSON, Irene
2004

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This report was written from the belief that palliative care is, and will be for the forseeable future, an essential component in the continuum of managing HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. There is now a wealth of experience in sub-Saharan Africa about the ways in which palliative care can be delivered both affordably and effectively. However, there remains a lack of properly documented evidence and research to demonstrate the importance of this work and promote its development. This report provides a review of existing evaluations of palliative care projects in sub-Saharan Africa with an emphasis on isolating the factors that lead to sustainability, local ownership and scaling up; the role of palliative care in the management of HIV/AIDS and how to integrate palliative care and Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART); primary health based care projects in two countries, Kenya and Malawi, that could provide lessons for the implementation of palliative care; lessons from other parallel programmes which mirror palliative care delivery, for example, tuberculosis programmes, and primary care programmes with good links to local clinics and hospitals, and community mobilization and empowerment projects linked to health facilities. In this way it contributes to the effort of providing an evidence base to demonstrate the importance of palliative care and provides a source of reference for policy makers, practitioners, donors and researchers

Lessons learned workshop : a review of assistance programs for war wounded and other persons with disabilities living in mine-affected countries

HANDICAP INTERNATIONAL
2004

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This review is the result of a workshop in May 2004 which brought together rehabilitation specialists from Africa, Asia, Europe and Central America to review assistance programmes for war wounded and persons who are living in landmine-affected countries. Lessons learned regarding emergency and continuing medical care, physical rehabilitation, psycho-social support, economic integration, capacity-building and sustainability, access to services, data collection, and coordination are presented in some detail, with reference to achieving the aims outlined in the International Campaign to Ban Landmines' Guidelines for the care and rehabilitation of survivors (1999)

Promoting rights-based approaches : experiences and ideas from Asia and the Pacific

THEIS, Joachim
2004

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This book is a collection of experiences with rights-based approaches from Asia and the Pacific. Part One looks at rights-based programming, and provides a general overview of rights-based approaches and their history. This is followed by a review of experiences of different rights-based organisations. Part Two translates human rights principles and standards into practical ideas for education and HIV/AIDS programming and for organisational development and management. Part Three presents four examples of rights-based programmes: promoting children’s participation in Vietnam, the Child Friendly District initiative in Ho Chi Minh City, confronting discrimination in South Asia and strengthening accountability for children’s rights through mass media. Part Four presents experiences and experiments with tools for rights-based analysis, planning, monitoring and evaluation. There is also a section on web resources on rights-based approaches, which lists some of the major organisations that are promoting rights-based approaches to development and relief work

Community care, change and hope : local responses to HIV in Zambia

LUCAS, Sue
2004

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This case study documents a successful model for facilitating a strong community response to HIV and AIDS. The Salvation Army Change Programme in Ndola and Choma Districts in Zambia illustrates the facilitation process stimulating an appropriate local response to HIV and AIDS and essential component of human capacity development. The model builds on local strengths and resources, stimulating ordinary people to address the barriers that prevent them from using HIV and AIDS information and services to prevent new infections, compassionately care for those who are infected and mitigate the effects of the epidemic on families and the community. Only by addressing personal risk, stigma and the potential for personal and societal change will the demand for and use of voluntary counselling and testing, prevention of mother to child transmission and antiretroviral therapy services increase

Stepping back from the edge : the pursuit of antiretroviral therapy in Botswana, South Africa and Uganda

JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
2004

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This report looks at what is being done to challenge the pace of progress on access to antiretroviral medicines in three very different African countries - Botswana, South Africa and Uganda. It describes who is driving these initiatives at grass-roots level and how. It offers insights and draws on lessons from firsthand experiences that can help those already working towards better access to antiretrovirals, and encourages others to embark on similar initiatives. It is intended for all those with an interest in this issue, from policy- and decision-makers with the power to create a favourable environment for antiretroviral treatment, to those working on the front line in health services, NGOs and AIDS service organizations, as well as those living with HIV, whose role in the battle for wider access is vital

Enhancing research uptake through communication, networking and capacity development

DUNN, Alison
2004

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This brief paper describes the research methodology employed by the Malaria Knowledge Programme, and key lessons learned. The programme aimed to enhance the impact of its work through strengthening information and communication flows, involving Southern researchers and institutions and creating international networks for the improvement of research communication throughout its work. Using examples, this paper illustrates how the programme engaged with dynamics of research, policy making and practice, in accordance with DFID recommendations

Evaluation and utilization of traditional methods of communication in Cameroon's central, southern, eastern and extreme northern regions : case study 20

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO). Communication for Development Group
August 2003

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This study's main objectives are to evaluate traditional means of communication; to note their constraints; to select the traditional methods which can best be used for the diffusion of information and to devise a strategy for implementing the selected method of traditional communication. The methodology of this survey is based on the Active Method of Participative Research.
The study illustrates that the traditional media for communication in Cameroon are: the gong and songs accompanied by dances (in all of the surveyed provinces); the xylophone (in the center and south); griot [travelling poet] and balafon (in the east); colleagues of the traditional chiefs (Lawanes, Djaoros); and messengers of traditional chiefs or muezzins (extreme north).There are numerous constraints to using individuals in devising communications strategies: a lack of trained musicians, the lack of initiative on the part of the village elders, the disinterest of the youth, conflict among the different generations, the proliferation of modern communications technologies, the complexity of training in various methods, the possible alteration of messages, a lack of motivation and the slow speed of transmission. The study notes that the best methods for the diffusion of information in the regions surveyed in Cameroon are: the gong, the colleagues and messengers of traditional chiefs to organize village meetings in which reproductive health issues could be raised, singing and dancing, travelling poets and xylophones.
In order to devise effective strategies for conveying messages about reproductive health through these traditional methods of communication, traditional authorities must be engaged early on in the process and informed of the importance of these means of communication; qualified individuals must be identified as resources and others trained; and a training of trainers must be conducted

Twenty five years of primary health care : lessons learned and proposals for revitalisation

SANDERS, David
2003

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This report highlights the lessons learned from 25 years of primary health care. It highlights the gains that there have been in health status, but also looks at the setbacks, for example the increased gap between the health of rich and poor, and the resurgence and spread of old communicable diseases and new epidemics. It highlights the mixed progress in implementing primary health care and makes proposals for the revitalisation of primary health care

Building a dispensary health management information system

SOHANI, Salim
SHARIF, Shanaaz
FOX, John
Eds
2003

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This policy brief focuses on the outcomes of the Kwale Health Systems Strengthening Project (KHSSP), which aims to improve the quality of health care at the dispensary level. The project increased the participation of the local community in the running of the dispensaries and in the development and operation of the health information system that was used. This brief outlines the projects work and lessons that can be learned from it

Health : an ecosystem approach

LEBEL, Jean
2003

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Can people remain healthy in a world that is sick? Many ecological disasters can be directly traced to careless exploitation of the environment, with human beings as first perpetrator and then victim. Our health closely mirrors the health of our surroundings: this is the basis of the Ecohealth approach. It recognizes the links between humans and their biophysical, social, and economic environments, and that these links are reflected in the population's state of health. This is a new area of research, requiring input from scientists, community and interest groups, and decision-makers. This book describes this new approach, providing lessons and recommendations from various IDRC-supported research activities. It demonstrates how decision-makers, in particular, can use the ecohealth approach to formulate policies and solutions that are both immediately visible and sustainable over the long term

Peer approach in adolescent reproductive health education : some lessons learned

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)
2003

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This document pulls together what research and experience tell us about the peer education in promoting attitude and behaviour change in adolescents around sexual and reproductive health. It also offers guidelines for policy makers and programme implementers to learn from others and to adapt strategies that will be most effective in their setting. Chapter one defines peer education, and explains some of the theoretical models. Chapter two justifies using peer education and discusses advantages and benefits of this approach. Chapter three synthesizes research on the impact of peer education in the Asian region. Chapter four compiles lessons learned from many research studies, to show what makes a peer education programme work. Chapter five presents a series of guidelines for planning and implementing adolescent reproductive health interventions, including tips for working with youth and adults

Antiretroviral therapy in primary health care : experience of the Khayelitsha programme in South Africa. Case study

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2003

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This case study outlines and assesses the Khayelitha programme, which focused on ART provision and aimed to document the feasibility of low-cost treatment and primary health care provision in developing countries. The document details the clinical outcomes of the programmes, the strategy used to ensure adherence and the contribution made by Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) to raise awareness and pressurise the government to develop an adequate response to the epidemic. The provision of ART in Khayelitsha had also a positive impact on prevention, making more HIV-positive people aware of their status, reducing stigma, being the catalyst of educational initiatives, improving the morale of health workers and keeping families intact and less at risk. The case study concludes with a comprehensive list of lessons learned and with key recommendations for the future, which include consolidation of nurse-based care, more training activities, integration of HIV/AIDS and TB services, educational programmes aimed at improving adherence to ART and a greater focus on paediatric AIDS and ART provision in rural remote areas

World health report 2003 : shaping the future

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2003

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This report argues that real progress in health depends on strengthening health systems, centred on the principles of primary health care. This requires effective use of existing knowledge and technologies and innovation to create new health tools, along with appropriate structures and strategies to apply them. Success will need new forms of cooperation between international health agencies, national health leaders, health workers and communities, and other relevant sectors. Chapter 1 of the report looks at the current state of global health, highlighting the gap between the poor and better-off everywhere. Chapter 2 reflects on the slow progress towards achieving the Millenium Development Goals. Chapter 3 looks at the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and demonstrates why HIV/AIDS control needs to drive the agenda for the global health community. Chapter 4 looks at the steps needed to achieve polio eradication within the next few years, and chapter 5 concentrates on the lessons learned from the SARS outbreak. The theme of chapter 6 is the the overlap between communicable and non-communicable diseases and injuries occurring throughout the developing world, leading to a crisis of priorities for health systems. The concluding chapter returns to the statement that stronger health systems are necessary, and that strengthening health systems should be based on the principles and practices of primary health care

Spreading the word further : guidelines for research disseminating development research

FISHER, Julie
ODHIAMBO, Frank
COTTON, Andrew
2003

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[Publisher's abstract] This book is a product of the second phase of a DFID-funded KaR project that is aimed at increasing the impact of research through improved dissemination of the research process and findings. It develops the ideas from phase one of the project 'Spreading the Word: Practical guidelines for research dissemination strategies' (Saywell and Cotton, 1999) (Source record number 35244). Based on in-depth consultation with Southern agencies about appropriate methods and formats by which to share information and knowledge relating to development research projects, this book provides dissemination checklists and guidelines. It also provides a useful overview of the issues and more specific advise for anyone engaged in development-related research, whether as contractors, practitioners or donors, at all stages of the project cycle

The cultural approach to HIV/AIDS prevention

SOMMA, Daryl B
KESSLER BODIANG, Claudia
2003

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This paper explores how culture can be used in various forms (theatre, music, dance, traditional medicine, and more) as a means to communicate and encourage behavior change for HIV/AIDS prevention. It highlights theater for development and collaboration with traditional healers as viable alternatives to more conventional communication and behavior change models. It presents several case studies, good practices from the field, and lessons learned. The authors' understanding of a cultural approach to HIV/AIDS prevention means understanding and using a community's cultural references as a framework for the design and implementation of prevention policies and programmes. Programmes that have employed this approach are characterized by their participatory approach that fosters community ownership and in turn, can result in both greater efficacy and sustainability within the community

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