Advocacy to Policymakers

Conclusions from a Technical Consultation: Community-Based Health Workers Can Safely and Effectively Administer Injectable Contraceptives
2010 | World Health Organization | 4 p
Community-Based Health Workers Can Safely and Effectively Administer Injectable Contraceptives (English) |
Les agents de santé communautaires peuvent administrer des contraceptifs injectables en toute sécurité et efficacité (French)
In June 2009, a technical consultation held at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva concluded that evidence supports the introduction, continuation, and scale-up of community-based provision of progestin-only injectable contraceptives. The group of 30 technical and programme experts reviewed scientific and programmatic experience, which largely focused on the progestin-only injectable, depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA).
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Simple Tools to Save the Lives of Mothers and Kids
No Date | GOOD
English
This online transparency provides a graphical representation of the potential contribution of community health workers to improved maternal and child health in many parts of the world.
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Community Health Workers: Key Messages, Global Consultation on Community Health Workers, Montreaux, Switzerland, 29-30 April 2010
2010 | Global Health Workforce Alliance | 7 p
English |
French |
Spanish
A global consultation of programme managers, policy makers and experts was convened by the Alliance in April 2010 in Montreux, Switzerland, to review the recommendations of a systematic review on Community Health Workers (CHWs), share experiences, and develop broad agreement on key messages for countries to use to integrate CHWs into their national health workforce. Key messages were identified around the following three areas: the planning, production and deployment; attraction and retention; and performance management of CHW.  
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Community-Based Access to Injectables: An Advocacy Guide
2010 | Futures Group, Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1 | 46 p
English
Injectable contraceptives are popular among women, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Health officials and providers in a growing number of countries seek to make injectable contraceptives more widely available at the community level through trained paraprofessionals. Studies and field observations have found that community health workers (CHWs) can provide injectables safely and that community access to injectables attracts new contraceptive users.
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Engaging Innovative Advocates as Public Health Champions
2010 | FHI | 4 p
• English
A “champion” is a “charismatic advocate of a belief, practice, program, policy and/or technology.” It is a champion’s unique combination of skills—passion, persistence, and persuasiveness—that distinguish him or her from other advocates. A 2007 Cochrane review concluded that the use of opinion leaders can successfully promote evidence-based practices. Engaging influential opinion leaders can be an effective advocacy approach for advancing social, economic, political, or public health issues.
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Global Experience of Community Health Workers for Delivery of Health Related Millennium Development Goals: A Systematic Review, Country Case Studies, and Recommendations for Integration into National Health Systems
2010 | Global Health Workforce Alliance | 391 p
English
Participation of community health workers (CHWs) in the provision of primary health care has been experienced all over the world for several decades, and there is an amount of evidence showing that they can add significantly to the efforts of improving the health of the population, particularly in those settings with the highest shortage of motivated and capable health professionals.
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Approaches That Work: Community Based Distribution of Injectable Contraceptives
2009 | USAID | Health Policy Initiative/ Task Order 1 | 1 p
• English
Describes the key components of the approaches that The USAID | Health Policy Initiative/ Task Order 1 uses to assist national governments in countries such as Malawi and Rwanda to incorporate injectable contraceptives into CBD programs.
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Repositioning Family Planning: Guidelines for Advocacy Action
2008 | World Health Organization [WHO] | 64 p
• Repositioning Family Planning: Guidelines for Advocacy Action (English)
Le Repositionnement de la Planification Familiale: Directives Pour Actions de Plaidoyer (French)
This toolkit aims to help those working in family planning across Africa to effectively advocate for renewed emphasis on family planning to enhance the visibility, availability, and quality of family planning services for increased contraceptive use and healthy timing and spacing of births, ultimately, improved quality of life across the region. It was developed in response to requests from several countries to assist them in accelerating their family planning advocacy efforts.
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Improving Access to Family Planning: Community-Based Distribution of DMPA (advocacy kit)
2007 | Family Health International [FHI]
Brief 1: Expanding Access to Injectable Contraception |
Brief 2: Safety of Community-Based Distribution of DMPA |
Brief 3: Effectiveness of Community-Based Distribution of DMPA |
Brief 4: Integrating Community-Based Distribution of DMPA Into Existing Health Systems |
Brief 5: Community-Based Distribution of DMPA: The Nakasongola Project, Uganda |
Brief 6: Community-based Distribution of DMPA: The APROFAM Project, Guatemala |
Brief 7: Community-based Distribution of DMPA: The Matlab Project, Bangladesh |
Steps to Begin Providing DMPA through Community-based Services |
Selected CBD of DMPA Resources |
Checklist for Screening Clients Who Want to Initiate Use of DMPA (or NET-EN)
This kit provides information and tools with which decision-makers can advocate for and initiate community-based distribution (CBD) of the injectable contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA or Depo-Provera). Drawing on research and programs from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the kit presents seven briefs with evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of CBD provision of DMPA. It discusses best practices for successful CBD of DMPA provision, such as training, counseling, and ensuring supply.
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Long-Acting and Permanent Methods: Addressing Unmet Need for Family Planning in Africa
2007 | Family Health International [FHI] | 26 p
• Long-Acting and Permanent Methods: Addressing Unmet Need for Family Planning in Africa (English)
Méthodes Permanentes et à Longue Durée d'Action : Afrique : Combler le Besoin Insatisfait en Planification Familiale (French)
Family Health International (FHI) developed this package of eight briefs to present the benefits of long-acting and permanent methods (LAPMs) and the rationale for  introducing or revitalizing them within national reproductive health and family planning programs. They are meant to inform policy-makers, program managers, and donors, as well as diverse stakeholders at the community level who wish to improve and expand LAPM provision within their communities.
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Adding It Up: The Non-Medical Benefits of Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health Care
2004 | Guttmacher Institute | 1 p
• English
This new report jointly published by The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) and the United Nations Population Fund makes the case for increased funding for sexual and reproductive health services—particularly in resource-poor countries—by illustrating the unusually broad societal and individual impact of investments in sexual and reproductive health.
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Networking for Policy Change: An Advocacy Training Manual by POLICY
2003 | POLICY Project | 212 p
Networking for Policy Change: An Advocacy Training Manual (English) |
Création de Réseaux Pour le Changement de Politiques : Un Manuel de Formation Pour le Plaidoyer (French) |
Formando Redes Para el Cambio de Politicas: Manual de Capacitacion en Defensa y Promocion (Spanish)
This training manual developed by the POLICY Project was prepared to help representatives of non-governmental organizations and other formal groups of civil society form and maintain advocacy networks and develop effective family planning/reproductive health advocacy skills. The manual's tools and approaches can be used to affect family planning and reproductive health policy decisions at the international, national, regional, and local levels. The manual is based on the principle that advocacy strategies and methods can be learned.
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Advocacy Tools and Guidelines: Promoting Policy Change
2001 | CARE | 129 p
• Introduction
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• Chapters 1-4
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• Chapters 5-7
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• Chapters 8-10
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• Final Pages
Advocacy is a strategy to influence policy makers when they make laws and regulations, distribute resources, and make other decisions that affect peoples' lives. The principal aims of advocacy are to create policies, reform policies, and ensure policies are implemented. There are a variety of advocacy strategies, such as discussing problems directly with policy makers, delivering messages through the media, or strengthening the ability of local organizations to advocate.
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Advocacy: Building Skills for NGO Leaders
1999 | Centre for Development and Population Activities [CEDPA] | 79 p
• Advocacy: Building Skills for NGO Leaders (English)
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• PLAIDOYER Développement d’Aptitudes Pour les Dirigeants d’ONG (French)
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• DEFENSA Y PROMOCIÓN Fortaleciendo la Capacidad de las Líderes de ONG (Spanish)
A three-day, six-session curriculum designed as a companion piece to Cairo, Beijing, and Beyond: A Handbook on Advocacy for Women Leaders. This manual uses participatory methodologies and is based on CEDPA's experience in building the skills of non-governmental organization leaders to advocate for change in the reproductive health arena. While the background information and role play scenarios deal directly with reproductive health issues, a trainer can adapt the sessions for other contexts.
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Task Sharing

Scale-Up of Task-Shifting for Community-Based Provision of Implanon
2011 | Pathfinder International | 12 pp
• English
The Integrated Family Health Program (IFHP) is a five-year USAID-funded program to promote an integrated model for strengthening maternal and child health, family planning (FP), and reproductive health services for rural and underserved populations in Ethiopia. Led by Pathfinder International and John Snow, Inc. in partnership with the Consortium of Reproductive Health Associations, IFHP has pursued scale-up of community-based provision of Implanon since 2009.
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Community-Based Providers in Rural Guatemala Can Provide the Injectable Contraceptive DMPA Safely
2009 | World Health Organization [WHO], Department of Reproductive Health and Research | 4 p
• English
The specific objectives of the study were to assess client satisfaction and competence of community-based providers in providing the three-monthly injectable contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA).
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Task Shifting for a Strategic Skill Mix
2006 | Capacity Project | 4 p
Task Shifting for a Strategic Skill Mix (English) |
Vers une Redistribution des Tâches pour une Palette de Compétences Stratégiques (French) |
Cambio de Tareas para Obtener una Combinación Estratégica de Destrezas (Spanish)
Based on a review of the literature and country examples, the brief describes why task shifting is important and highlights some key steps in planning for, developing and supporting cadres involved in task shifting.
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Family Planning Guidelines