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I. Letter from the Adapting to Change Team
Dear Friends,
Welcome to this edition of the Adapting to Change electronic newsletter. This is the second anniversary of our newsletter, and we would like to thank all of you who have contributed to making it a success. The newsletter is an important part of our Program that offers a venue to share information, contributing to the development of a community of practice. This month we launch the Population and Reproductive Health Discussion Forum. We are very excited about this new feature and hope you will join in by contributing and exchanging views with your colleagues around the world on current population and reproductive health topics highlighted each month. We also invite you to visit our newly designed website at http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/healthandaids/. Here you can find up-to-date information about the Program (who we are and what we do) and our training activities worldwide (Dakar, Kampala, Mexico City, Turin, Washington). You can also download brochures and register for our upcoming training courses. We hope this issue of our newsletter finds you well and, as always, we welcome your input and feedback.
Best regards,
Arlette Campbell White and the Adapting to Change Program Team
II. Staff Anouncements
Laura Raney leaves the team on 12 April to join the Washington office of the Population Council on their Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program. Laura was instrumental in producing the newsletter, contributing to website and evaluating our training activities. She will be very much missed by her colleagues here and we wish her the best of luck in her new position.
Marguerite Monnet is the Program Manager for ‘New Agendas for Poverty Reduction Strategies: Integrating Gender and Health’ (also known as the Gender, Health and Poverty Program). Marguerite also manages our Francophone Africa Program (see below).
III. Second Francophone Africa Regional Core Course - S’adapter au Changement: Population, Santé de la Reproduction, Réforme du Secteur de la Santé, Dakar, Senegal, 10-22 June 2002
The second offering of the Adapting to Change Core Course on Population, Reproductive Health and Health Sector Reform (S’adapter Au Changement: Population, Santé de la Reproduction, Réforme du Secteur de la Santé) will take place from 10 to 22 June in Dakar, Senegal. This course will be conducted in French and is organized in collaboration with the Francophone Network of African Partners in Population and Reproductive Health. The course objectives are to improve population and reproductive health outcomes in Francophone Africa by:
- providing participants with an understanding of the changing national and international policy and program environment for their work in population and reproductive health;
- sharing knowledge and tools that help participants effectively deliver reproductive health services in their countries; and
- informing participants working in health systems about how the delivery of reproductive health is influenced, and can be supported by, health sector reforms.
The course is designed for French-speaking West and Central African public and private sector professionals involved in the financing, planning, implementation, and evaluation of reproductive health services in World Bank client countries; staff from the World Bank, donor agencies, international organizations, and NGOs who are working with countries to implement the reproductive health approach called for in the ICPD Programme of Action; trainers from regionally-based training and research institutions working in population and reproductive health who conduct training in this area, and wish to strengthen their capacity to do so; and academics and researchers working in the areas of reproductive health, public administration, or the social sectors.
The course brochure, including the application form, is available on our website at at http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/healthandaids/, or upon request. To apply for the course, please download, print and fill out the application form and send it by e-mail, fax or mail to Madame Laurence CODJIA, Sous Directeur de l’Institut Supérieur de Santé, Centre Africain d’Etudes Supérieures en Gestion (CESAG), Boulevard du Général de Gaulle, B.P. 3802 DAKAR, Sénégal, Fax: 221-821-32-15, e-mail: ISS@cesag.sn or Madame Marguerite MONNET, World Bank Institute, Mailstop J 2-200, 1818 H Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20433, Fax: 202 676-0961, e-mail: mmonnet@worldbank.org. The application deadline is 30 April 2002. Early application is requested.
IV. Premiere face-to-face course: ‘Genre et Santé: Nouvelles approches en matière de stratégies de réduction de la pauvreté,’ 24-28 June, Dakar, Senegal
In response to demand, a fifth session of this highly acclaimed course will take place from 24 to 28 June in Dakar, Senegal. Whereas previous sessions were offered through distance learning (DL) at DL Centers in Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea and Senegal, this course will be taught face-to-face. ‘Genre et Santé: Nouvelles approches en matière de stratégies de réduction de la pauvreté’ (‘New Agendas for Poverty Reduction Strategies: Integrating Gender and Health’) explores the critical linkages between poverty, gender inequality and health, their key policy issues and implications. The aim of this course is to assist countries in analyzing, designing, and developing better health policies and programs which reduce gender-based inequality, particularly for members of Poverty Reduction Strategy Process (PRSP) teams to enhance their understanding of how gender can be taken account of in sectoral programming.
The course is aimed at French-speaking West and Central African high level officials and policy makers working in national governments, local and international NGOs, international agencies, academic institutions and World Bank staff and others involved in developing Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) for their countries. For more information and to register, please contact Ms. Marguerite Monnet, Email: mmonnet@worldbank.org, Tel: 202 458-4286, Fax: 202 676 0961 or see our website at http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/healthandaids/.
V. Feedback from the Global Core Course 2001
As part of the evaluation of the Adapting to Change Global Core Course that was held from 10 to 27 September 2001 in Washington DC, the Adapting to Change Team arranged to have an independent firm, EnCompass LLC, conduct Feedback and Reflection Sessions with participants at the end of each week of the course. Through these sessions, participants offered their perspectives on how the training benefited them, their professional goals, the results they hope to achieve in the next year, and the opportunities and constraints they may face in doing so. These observations provided useful information for the course designers and trainers to consider as we plan upcoming courses to best meet the technical and skills development needs of health practitioners. Some of the results are summarized below.
How does training help us develop as practitioners?
After the first week of the three-week course, participants were asked to describe how capacity building activities, such as the Core Course, helps them attain their visions and goals. Responses included: helps clarify vision and policy-making abilities; increases capacity to look at new approaches; provides tools and knowledge to look at policies; presents leading edge thinking; and increases understanding of health sector reform. The participants also appreciated the opportunity to exchange information and experiences with classmates from other countries and sectors, thus providing opportunities to see how approaches are implemented in other countries, understand other perspectives, and view decision-making processes from a multi-actor and cross-sectoral perspective.
What do I want to accomplish in the next year?
During the final reflection session participants worked on an Action Plan indicating what they hoped to accomplish in a year’s time. They described a future accomplishment, the necessary steps to be taken, identification of the other actors to be involved, actions they would carry out in the next 60 days and factors for success. The technical areas of interest identified by the participants for work over the next year included reproductive health (21 responses); youth (12); decentralization of service delivery (11); training and study (11); fertility and mortality (7); donor programs (7); policies and politics (6); HIV/AIDS (4); gender (4); poverty (2); and female genital mutilation (1).
The activities identified by the respondents ranged from big picture actions, such as changing public policy, to the most individual activity, that of self-improvement. In writing these Action Plans, the largest number of respondents (22) said that they wanted to raise awareness. The second largest number of respondents (18) indicated that they wanted to design and or initiate new strategies, programs and/or projects. Seventeen participants said that they would work to increase access to services. Fifteen respondents said that they would work to influence, change or initiate public policy. Eight respondents aimed to improve outcomes and change behavior. Six wanted to enhance their own skills and knowledge.
You can view the entire Feedback Report on our website at http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/healthandaids/. Also look in future issues for our follow-up with past participants on their Action Plans.
VI. The Fourth Adapting to Change Global Core Course on Population, Reproductive Health and Health Sector Reform, 19-30 August 2002, ILO Training Center, Turin, Italy
The Fourth Adapting to Change Global Core Course on Population, Reproductive Health and Health Sector Reform will take place from 12 to 30 August in Turin, Italy, at the ILO Training Center. The goal of the training is to improve population and reproductive health outcomes in developing countries by strengthening the skills and capacity of key actors to make their population and reproductive health programs more efficient, equitable and financially sustainable. The course objectives are to increase participants’:
- understanding of how the changing international and national policy environment impacts on their work in population and reproductive health;
- knowledge and skills that they will use to deliver population and reproductive health services in their country in more efficient and equitable ways; strategic thinking and ability to ensure that health sector reforms help rather than hinder improvements in population and reproductive health outcomes in their countries; and
- capacity to develop action plans that apply course material, knowledge and tools to an issue they face currently in their work.
The course is designed for senior government officials, particularly from ministries of Health, Education, Women’s Affairs, Labor, Population and Welfare, and Finance and/or Planning, as well as representatives of NGOs, private sector organizations, the donor community, Bank staff and others working in the field of population, reproductive health and health sector reform. The subsidized fee for the two-week course is US$1,500, and participants are expected to cover the costs of their own round-trip ticket to Turin, Italy. They are also responsible for room and board expenses at the ILO Center, estimated to be around $1,200.
The course brochure, including the application form, is available on our website at: http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/healthandaids/. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the brochure please contact Ms. Jo Hindriks at jhindriks@worldbank.org. To apply for the Adapting to Change Global Core Course 2002, please download, print and fill out the application form and fax or mail it to Ms. Laurence Sage, Admissions Officer, World Bank Institute, 1818 H Street, N.W., MS J2-200, Washington, DC 20433, Fax: +1-202-676-0961. The application deadline is 15 May 2002. Early application is requested. Please see the course brochure for additional information about the course, including financing information, logistics regarding arrival in Turin, housing, visa request procedure, vaccinations, medical insurance, venue, climate and currency. You may also address any questions you may have about to course to Ms. Sage at lsage@worldbank.org.
VII. Profile of one of our Technical Partners: the Canadian Public Health Association
The Adapting to Change Learning Program collaborates with many organizations who provide financial and/or technical assistance. In 2001 the Program signed a partnership agreement with the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA). As a technical partner, CPHA works with us to support the development of regional strategies on population and reproductive health for Francophone Africa; identify and facilitate the participation of national public health associations in the program, as both trainees and advisors; and share with the network of public health associations the experiences and knowledge gained through the program. CPHA sponsored several participants in the global Core Course 2001, including Tanya Salewski, Project Coordinator, Family and Reproductive Health Project, CPHA, Malawi, and Ms. Anna Chinombo, National Project Officer, CPHA, Malawi.
In their Fall 2001 issue of “Partners Around the World: Canadian Public Health Association International Programs”, Ms. Salewski writes about working with communities for improved family and reproductive health in three districts in Malawi with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), CPHA’s funding partner in the Family and Reproductive Health Project. The project’s goal is to increase utilization and improve the quality of reproductive health, family planning, and safe motherhood services through an improved relationship between the community and health service providers in the Dedza, Nkhata Bay and Mchinji districts. The project aims to strengthen the health system’s capacity to deliver quality reproductive health care at the district level. The project is also building community capacity to address socio-cultural barriers to access to care. For additional information about this program, contact Ms. Salewski at tsalewski@cpha.ca.
VIII. New Readings and Announcements
Launch of the Population and Reproductive Health Discussion Forum
Beginning this month, we will host an electronic discussion forum via e-mail for the larger community of practice interested in current topics and relevant research in the fields of population, reproductive health and health sector reform. Each month we will post a recently published article on selected issues and will launch a discussion to be moderated by the author(s). Participants can post questions and comments on the articles to which everyone is invited to respond and comment. We hope that this discussion forum will contribute to building a common understanding of new knowledge and recent research on population, RH and related issues. The moderated discussion will be held for three weeks. To access the article and to join the discussion forum, visit our website at http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/healthandaids/ . We look forward to a lively and exciting discussion and sharing of ideas!
April’s e-discussion focuses on population and poverty with Tom Merrick’s recent article “Population and Poverty: New Views on an Old Controversy” in the March issue of International Family Planning Perspectives published by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, also available on their website at: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2804102.html. A synopsis of the paper is below.
“Population and Poverty: New Views on an Old Controversy” by Tom Merrick, March 2002, International Family Planning Perspectives, vol. 28, no. 1.
Demographers and economists have been examining the role played by rapid population growth in explaining the differences between developing countries that are reducing poverty and those that are not. Such efforts may help to identify the policies and program interventions that are most likely to reduce the numbers of people worldwide who are living in extreme poverty. There are two major contrasting views about the relationship between population growth and poverty: that high fertility causes poverty and low fertility is the key to reducing poverty; and that economic policies are the main determinants of poverty reduction. The author asserts that neither fertility decline alone nor present models of economic development will necessarily reduce poverty in developing counties. Rather, a combination of slower population growth, economic development and reduced gender inequality is needed to achieve that goal.
We encourage you to visit and take part in the Population and RH Discussion Forum. If you are unable to sign up via our website, you may sign up by e-mail by contacting Ms. Elizabeth Szollosi at eszollosi@worldbank.org.
"Facts for Life" - A guide providing families and communities around the world with essential information on low-cost ways to help prevent child deaths and diseases and to protect women during pregnancy and childbirth. FFL is a joint effort of UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, the World Bank, WFP and WHO. For more information see: http://www.comminit.com. Contact: Web Promo Team webpromo@unicef.org.
"Handbook of Social Communication for Health Promotion Programs for Adolescents" - Provides guidelines for the design and implementation of health communication programmes for adolescents and youth in Latin America and the Caribbean. For more information see: http://www.comminit.com Contact: Gloria Coe, Pan American Health Organization, Coeglori@paho.org.
IX. How to subscribe/unsubscribe
Please circulate this message to other interested people and encourage them to register for their own copy by sending an email to join-reprohealth@lists.worldbank.org. This newsletter, as well as previous issues, is also available on our website at http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/healthandaids/.
Thank you for your interest in the Adapting to Change Program. This newsletter is published bi-monthly. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please send them to at jhindriks@worldbank.org.
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