GAVI CSO Project Newsletter

Transcription

1 GAVI CSO Project Did you know? Volume 2, Issue 1 February 28, 2014 A team of expert advocacy trainers is available to lead an advocacy workshop in your country (page 2) CSOs in India have been promised five percent of government funds for child survival programming (page 4) Twenty percent of Chadian women are unaware of the benefits of vaccination (page 4) In this edition: Engaging CSOs in Immunization (Pakistan) Launch report: Phase 3 GAVI CSO Project 1 2 Partner resources 2 Launch report: Alliance for Immunization in India Awareness-raising in Chad 4 4 Events Calendar 5 Contact 5 A civil society movement I always like to start the new year off with a little grammar. Like, what is the difference between campaign and movement? Nothing, except that the latter captures the motion, the effort, the coming together and the physical slogging that we do from office to office and village to village to move emotions and opinions and get people moving their work in the same direction. Sure, we have advocacy campaigns and immunization campaigns but when we talk about the big picture of what CSOs are doing, of the spirit and energy reported in this newsletter, that is a movement. We challenge you to read your colleagues reports in this issue and not be moved. On page four, civil society in the world s most populous country has their government s attention and financial support. On pages one and three, CSOs that risk harassment and death to vaccinate children are now helping to solve the systemic problems that block vaccine coverage. And on pages two and four, we welcome nine new country partners and a new national CSO platform. Things are really moving! As always, get in touch if you have suggestions for your newsletter and keep sending those articles and photographs! Happy reading, The Team Engaging CSOs in Immunization (Pakistan s Perspective) Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) around the world play a major role in healthcare, working closely with communities to improve vaccine coverage and extend immunization services to hard-to-reach areas. In Pakistan as well, CSOs work in hard-to-reach areas and with under-privileged communities. In order to leverage the civil society presence in hard-toreach areas, the Ministry of Health under its Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) brought 15 CSOs together in one platform to work as partners under GAVI CSO Support Unit in Building on their experiences in the Unit, CSOs established the Pakistan CSOs Coalition for Health and Immunization (PCCHI) in January The coalition s purpose is to amalgamate the CSOs working at community level to enable them to jointly improve public health issues. Because Pakistan has among the world s highest The Pakistan CSO platform (PCCHI) reaches remote and disaster-affected communities with vaccine services. Photo by PCCHI. child and maternal mortality rates, the central focus is to address the deficiencies in the immunization program and to improve maternal and child health care. The coalition s vision is to reach the unreached areas through health system strengthening to support government to achieve MDGs 4 & 5. The coalition is aimed at synergizing efforts for reducing neonate, infant and maternal deaths and for (continued on page 3)

2 Page 2 GAVI CSO Project Reporting back: February phase three launch welcomes nine new CSO partners Participants at the Phase Three Launch of the GAVI CSO Constituency Project learn about the CSO platforms supported by GAVI during a market stall session. Photo by Laila Kassim for Catholic Relief Services 80 percent of participants rated the event as either a nine out of ten or a ten out of ten. The breezy sunny weather of Uganda made it the perfect atmosphere for CRS to host the launch of the 3 rd phase of the GAVI CSO Constituency Project. This event welcomed nine new country platforms (Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Togo, Zambia) into the project family, bringing the total number of participating platforms to eighteen. Fifty-three civil society representatives from around the world assembled in Kampala from February 3 rd -7 th 2014 to take part in the launch. Opening remarks were given by the Uganda Minister of Health, Dr. Rutunduka, who emphasized the key role civil society plays in creating linkages between national health systems and marginalized communities. Over five full days, the launch introduced the GAVI CSO Constituency Project s history, structure, roles and responsibilities; reviewed lessons learnt from ongoing countries; and provided projectspecific training on reporting, monitoring, evaluation and finance. By the end of the meeting, participants reported that they had gained a better understanding of the project and the role of key stakeholders in enhancing more meaningful, effective, and inclusive civil society engagement in health system strengthening. In addition to learning new things, participants had the opportunity to interact with representatives of the World Health Organization, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and the GAVI Civil Society Organization Constituency. Through formal sessions and informal chats, they came to appreciate the GAVI vision and the support available to CSOs for health system strengthening. One of the most vital components of the week was peer-to-peer learning. On the first day, new CSO partners meandered through a vibrant market stall introduction to the work of current and former partners. Then, each new platform was paired with an experienced older sibling who acted as their mentor in Kampala, and who will continue to provide mentorship throughout the year. In addition to daily mentorship sessions, participants engaged in panel discussions and case study presentations and of course, they made maximum use of social occasions: debates over coffee, early morning gym sessions, and sundown aperitifs overlooking Lake Victoria! According to exit evaluations, 80 percent of participants rated the event as either a nine out of ten or a ten out of ten. Kudos to everyone for another successful launch, and a warm welcome to all our new partners! Written by Monica Njoroge, Catholic Relief Services Need help? Don t be shy for every question you have, ten other people have the same question (and five others have the answer). Here is a quick list of the learning we have planned for If there is anything you don t see but would like to, let us know! Advocacy and GAVI HSS training: A team is ready to lead workshops in your country on either advocacy or how CSOs can access GAVI HSS funding. Contact Brenda.Hegarty@crs.org for more information. Peer visits: We encourage CSO platforms to visit and learn from one another. If you have an idea of where you want to go or what you want to learn or teach, contact Monica.Njoroge@crs.org. Peer experts: Do you have a skill or expertise that you would like to share? Would you like to travel to provide technical assistance? Would you like to deliver a webinar? Please get in touch with your CRS focal point for more information. Information sharing: If you haven t already, make sure you join the project list serv (gavicivilsocietypartners@googl egroups.com) to share your questions, announcements and best practices. Keep an eye out for project Fact Sheets, which are shared on the 1st of every month, and send your stories and thoughts for publication in the newsletter. Last but not least, don t forget to visit the GAVI CSO Constituency website (and check out your own page here).

3 Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 3 Engaging CSOs in Immunization (Pakistan s Perspective) - cont d increasing safe deliveries and immunizations coverage rates through research, knowledge development, experience sharing, dissemination of information and advocacy at national and global forums. As a result, CSOs in Pakistan are presenting practical solutions to barriers to immunization in many hard-to-reach areas, especially in Sindh province. These barriers range from deficiencies on the part of the health system, for instance, ineffective strategies to reach people who require health care, to those related to the public such as religious taboos or lack of knowledge. Organized by member organization, illustrative solutions presented by PCCHI in 2013 include: AKHSP: 53 community health workers and 25 health committee members trained on social mobilization; 26,053 people learned about family planning, immunization, nutritional rehabilitation, safe delivery, birth preparedness, antenatal and postnatal care; two EPI centers established in UC- Dad Jarwar and in UC-Mirabad; administration of seven NIDs and 11,471 vaccination doses and five SNIDs/Mop-Up and 5,775 vaccination doses. AKU: Capacity building of rural THQ hospitals for performing ROTA EIA tests in their target areas; community mobilization session about Rotavirus Gastroenteritis. HELP: 2000 children vaccinated in Nagarparkar. PVDP: Created awareness among mothers in two districts on danger signs of illness in children and pregnant women. HANDS: Capacity building of 250 stakeholders on improving EPI Status and Maternal Healthcare including VHC, HMC, HCP, CRP. In summary, CSOs in Pakistan contribute to quality improvement in healthcare by providing services in response to community needs; they lobby for equity and pro-poor health policies, often acting as in intermediary between communities and government; and reach remote areas poorly served by government facilities. CSOs have become more visible, as primary healthcare policies have placed emphasis on participation of the communities. PCCHI is actively engaged in working for increased immunization coverage and for improved maternal and child healthcare services. It is also extending ties to work in collaboration with the government and EPI Monitoring Cell. Under these circumstances it can be safely said that the very success of Pakistan s health programs in general and immunization in particular depends on the active involvement and partnership of civil society. Written by Dr. Alina Akhyar, Pakistan CSOs Coalition for Health and Immunization (PCCHI) CSOs in Pakistan are presenting practical solutions to barriers to immunization in many hard-toreach areas. CSOs in Pakistan access hard-to-reach places with essential healthcare services, actively working to decrease maternal and child mortality rates. Photo by CHIP

4 Page 4 GAVI CSO Project Launch of the Alliance for Immunization in India (AII) The Alliance for Immunization in India was formally launched in December Photo by AII The ultimate winners of all our interventions must be the children. Joan Awunyo- Akaba The Alliance for Immunization in India (AII) was formally launched at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on 17th December Around 45 participants represented various CSOs. The launch was the result of nine months of organization, advocacy and learning. Key distinguished guests included Ms. Anuradha Gupta, the Director of National Rural Health Mission; Rev. Dr. Tomi Thomas, the Director-General of CHAI; Dr. Joan Awunyo Akaba, Chair of the Oversight Advisory Group of the GAVI CSO Constituency and the GAVI CSO Board member; Dr.Pradeep Haldar, Deputy Commissioner, Immunization, MOH and Family Welfare; Mr. John Shumlansky, Country Representative, CRS India; and Ms. Patricia Ann Taylor, Country Support Team Leader, John Snow Inc. The launch included presentations by dignitaries, a panel discussion on the roles of CSOs in immunization, and plenary discussions and question-and-answer sessions. Notably, the NRHM announced that on 7th January 2014 they would initiate a new child health program that will serve as an entry point into communities. The NHRM has already approved a framework to involve CSOs in the program and grant them five percent of program funds. At the end of the day, AII members pledged to continue complementing efforts taken by the government to reach achieve full immunization. The launch event was followed by two days of training for 25 CSO representatives from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand on Health Systems Strengthening and Immunization. The training covered: Only twenty percent of Chadian women know the advantages of immunization Overview and current status of Immunization coverage; national immunization schedule; cold chain and vaccine management; immunization safety and waste disposal; structure of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in relation to the Immunization program and functions at each level; strategic actions of NRHM for routine immunization; supportive supervision for RI; planning for immunization services; improving immunization coverage & best practices; community involvement and communication and HSS with regards to immunization and the role of CSOs. Overall, both the launch of AII and the HSS Training programs were successful and hugely appreciated by the guests, resource persons and the participants. The participants thanked GAVI, CRS and the Catholic Health Association of India (platform facilitating CSO) for this useful initiative. Writen by the Alliance for Immunization in India Child receives the measles vaccine during the national campaign in N Djamena, Chad, on 12 February Photo by POSVIT Representatives of 200 Chadian organizations (including 165 women s organizations) gathered in N Djamena on 30th December 2013 to discuss barriers to immunization. Led by ALUP a coalition of 200 organizations and a member of the Chad CSO platform for immunization (POSVIT) they brought to light the major obstacles to strengthening the national immunization program: Few immunization campaigns Prejudice Cultural resistance Weak healthcare infrastructure Lack of knowledge on targeted illnesses and the vaccine calendar According to a test administered to all participants, only twenty percent of the women in attendance could identify the benefits of immunization. Shocked by their results, women participants committed to collaborating more closely with POSVIT in order to organize for social awareness raising and mobilization for immunization. As one participant expressed it, I have been enlightened. We have so little information and rely instead on rumors that imprison and victimize us. From this point forward we will be the ones that enlighten our communities. True to their word, those very women participants went on to support Chad s national measles immunization campaign from the 10th to the15th of February. Written by Patrice Djekosgadjimbaye, POSVIT Chad

5 About the project For more information about the GAVI CSO Project or to see your article in the next newsletter, contact: Brenda Hegarty Phone: The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) Civil Society Constituency Project supports the establishment of national civil society platforms in GAVI-priority countries around the world. These platforms advocate for improved immunization coverage and stronger health systems within their country. Direct funding and technical support assist them to access GAVI Health System Strengthening grants and, through that, to strengthen their government`s planning, implementation and monitoring for immunization. Eighteen countries are currently receiving grants (Malawi, Pakistan, Uganda, Liberia, Chad, India, Haiti, Guinea, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Madagascar, Togo, Mali, South Sudan, Sierra Leone and Zambia). Five countries (Ghana, Kenya, Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Ethiopia) have graduated after two years of support. Catholic Relief Services manages the GAVI CSO Project, with oversight and technical support provided by the GAVI Civil Society Organization Constituency Steering Committee s Oversight and Advisory Group. Events Calendar Lost your copy? Many GAVI CSO Project documents can now be found within the GAVI CSO Steering Committee website: There is a lot happening with the GAVI CSO Project have you marked your calendars with the events below? APRIL From 14 April Expert trainers are available to deliver advocacy workshops in your country. Contact Brenda. Hegarty@crs.org for more information and to sign up. 5 April Quarterly reports due 15 April Deadline for MAY From 5 May Trainers are available to deliver workshops in your country on how CSOs can access GAVI HSS funding. Contact Brenda. Hegarty@crs.org for more information and to sign up. 5-7 May Media and documentation training JUNE 15 June Deadline for June-July, dates to be determined Joint monitoring visits to all countries JULY June-July, dates to be determined Joint monitoring visits to all countries 5 July Quarterly reports due AUGUST August Financial Management training 15 August Deadline for SEPTEMBER September Program Review Workshop (Nairobi, Kenya) September-October, dates to be determined Project Evaluation (selected countries) OCTOBER 5 October Quarterly reports due 15 October Deadline for submitting an article or event NOVEMBER Dates to be determined joint monitoring visits to some countries Have you got an upcoming event that you want to announce? Contact your CRS focal point for assistance. Articles are due every other month on the 15th. Success stories, best practices, and photographs strongly encouraged.