Resources

The aim of the document is to assist in improving the quality, responsiveness and efficiency of reproductive health programmes through the use of simple participatory tools, which systematically ascertain the needs of intended beneficiaries at all stages of the project cycle. The first section provides a brief guide to designing a participatory monitoring system, with the intended purpose being to provide accurate information on users and non-users views of reproductive health programmes to donors, programme managers and service providers. This section also gives the context in which the guidelines have been prepared. Lastly, it provides a case study example of a participatory monitoring design, which places the process of client monitoring within the overall logical framework of the project. The second section provides the resource material and is divided into four parts. These are; checklists for incorporating users' perspectives throughout the project cycle; methods to assess users' perspectives; overview of conventional indicators of family planning programmes and a brief review of the literature on sexual and reproductive health.

This paper discusses how a community-based approach - Research Action Capacity-building (RAC) - can be valuable for malaria control and more specifically for the dissemination of insecticide treated bednets (ITNs), using the case study of a bednet project in N'Djamena, capital of Chad. A description of the concepts and methods of the RAC approach is given, along with a comparison with the like-minded approach of Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) - the RAC approach emphasizing that social change is its ultimate goal. The potential of the RAC approach for mobilizing and strengthening community-based activities is discussed. In addition a report on the successes and failures occurring in the case study, of the initial stages of the net selling and impregnation centres is outlined. In conclusion, the authors propose two major points. Firstly, when promoting ITNs, technical, economic and social factors must be targeted. Lastly, collaboration and communication at local, regional and international levels are vital for a project to be sustainable.

This short article describes a recent example of public participation by the Department of Health in the UK, as well as a brief discussion of participatory methods used by the former Conservative Government, whose methods included devolving accountability and responsibility.

In 1993, a collaboration was forged between the Center for Medical Guidance and Family Planning (CEMOPLAF) and World Neighbors-Ecuador (WN) to encourage the participation of indigenous populations to utilise reproductive health services provided by CEMOPLAF. The partnership was implemented through the sensitive integration of these services with agriculture and animal husbandry, which resulted in a dramatic uptake by local people. This newsletter follows a learning exchange which took place from November 18 - 26, 2000, between interdisciplinary teams from WN programs in Bolivia, Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru and key members of the CEMOPLAF-World Neighbors program in Ecuador. The exchange allowed the participants to explore and analyse the different aspects of the program, draw on their own experiences in relation to implementing reproductive health programs, and understand more fully an integrated approach to implementing reproductive health programs.

This is a report of a campaign group, established among communities in two deprived areas of Liverpool in order to ensure the local community health centre remained open after plans to close it were revealed. The article describes the methodology applied, which put a heavy emphasis on the use of participatory approaches and the actual process of the campaign. The process resulted in the Health Centre staying open, with local participants having an input as to which GPs would be employed. In addition, participants experienced a boost of self-esteem and confidence, which, in some cases had a knock-on effect in other areas of their lives. However, the authors warn that the greatest challenge is sustaining local involvement. As members leave the group, disillusionment and exhaustion may set in.

In a great majority of the rural communities in India, illness is treated with home remedies and specialised folk healers. The Foundation for the Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT) has initiated a project to document and assess these health practices in four states in Southern India using participatory assessments. The selected practices are promoted to improve primary health care. Presently, the FRLHT-Compas programme is preparing an action plan to promote selected medicinal plants in one million kitchen home gardens. This document details the project: the documentation process and the use of Rapid Assessment, and goes on to identify learning points and the way forward.

Compas (Comparing and Supporting Endogenous Development) is an international programme whose aim is to understand and encourage the diversity of rural people's knowledge and expand inter-cultural dialogues on farmer's knowledge and indigenous learning. The March 2001 issue of Compas Magazine focuses on indigenous traditional knowledge and the challenges these traditions face in the modern world. It includes articles on perceptions of traditions, positive and negative aspects of tradition, Mayan concepts of health, participatory rapid assessment of local Indian health traditions, and eco-cultural villages in Zimbabwe. (full text of this is available on their website)