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Repositioning Family Planning

HP+ More recent Repositioning Family Planning publications are available.

  • This USAID-funded Health Policy Project analysis summarizes how one strategy— reducing the unmet need for family planning in line with Malawi’s FP2020 goals—can make achieving and sustaining the MDGs more affordable in Malawi, in addition to directly contributing to the goals of reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. Calculations show that for every dollar invested in family planning between 2013 and 2025, the government of Malawi could save five dollars in other social services such as education, immunization, malaria, maternal health, and water and sanitation.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide FP services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing FP by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Updated analyses on the costs of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicate that countries would save money by investing in family planning programs. For example, in the nine francophone countries in West Africa, if governments provide family planning services to women who want to space or limit future births, countries would realize considerable savings in programs designed to address MDGs for maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, communicable diseases, and primary education. The savings in reduced costs outweigh the additional costs of providing family planning by a factor of 3 to 1 for the nine francophone countries as a whole. Summaries of the findings for the region in each country are available in English and French.

  • Costed Implementation Plans (CIPs) are concrete, detailed plans for achieving the goals of a national family planning program over a set number of years. A CIP details the program activities necessary to meet the goals and the costs associated with those activities, thereby providing clear program-level information on the resources a country must raise both domestically and from donors. The Health Policy Project, with various partners, has developed a collaborative, 10-step approach to creating a CIP that aligns with ongoing government planning and coordination efforts. This brief outlines these 10 steps, which when implemented, should result in a consensus-driven strategy, roadmap, and budget for achieving family planning targets under the Ouagadougou Partnership, FP2020, and/or other national programs. To date, the following countries have completed CIPs for family planning: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, Mauritania, Guinea, and Zambia.

  • Health financing was the theme of a major national conference held in Calabar, Nigeria in November 2011. The specific focus of the three-day conference was “Improving Financial Access to Health Services for the Poor in Nigeria.” Participants shared information on a wide range of health financing strategies and mechanisms employed in Nigeria as well as other countries. The 255 participants represented a broad range of expertise; they included health managers and providers, insurance specialists, health economists, government officials, and media representatives from all 36 states and the national capital. State representatives met in regional groups to discuss the approaches most applicable to their area and formulate plans to apply these approaches at the state or community level. The conference generated many “actionable” policy and program initiatives that the states and federal government can adopt.

    This presentation was one of five presentations made by the Health Policy Project. The presenter gave a brief overview of various software models available to help health planners and managers to estimate and project costs for various health services. These tools can be adapted for use at the state and local level and used to estimate costs to reach a specific goal or to expand or upgrade services.

  • These evidence-based advocacy materials, based on Spectrum projections, were produced under the USAID-funded Health Policy Project by the White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria to support national- and state-level advocacy efforts aimed at increasing access to family planning.

  • At the request of the USAID Mission in Malawi, the USAID-funded Health Policy Project (HPP) undertook a comprehensive facility-based assessment to ascertain the extent to which FP services have been integrated into HIV services in Malawi through different integration models and across various types of facilities (public and non-profit private). The study was also designed to examine how the reproductive rights of people living with HIV (PLHIV) are being respected and addressed through approaches such as PIFP and access to method choice. Finally, the study aimed to identify any systems-level barriers to integration and provide practical recommendations for the Ministry of Health (MOH) and other stakeholders to improve FP-HIV integrated services in Malawi.

  • In June 2014, the government of Haiti passed a new anti-trafficking law to fill a legal gap in the protection of survivors and to increase prosecution of perpetrators of human trafficking. These new legal provisions are particularly important in a country known for being an origin, transit point, and destination for human trafficking. This brief, published by the USAID-funded Health Policy Project AKSE program, aims to explain the rationale, scope, and implications of this new law. It is aimed at international and local organizations working in the field of human rights. This tool is part of a collection of materials developed by HPP AKSE to enhance the environment addressing child protection, trafficking, gender-based rights, sexual and gender-based violence, and to reinforce the capacity of actors in the protection chain and reference networks. 

  • This report is the product of a budget tracking study regarding the engagements for family planning completed by the USAID-funded Health Policy Project in Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Togo. The study examined the budget cycle process, identified  budget line items dedicated to family planning and analyzed financial commitments to family planning in each of the four countries through key informant interviews and a literature review. Stakeholders can use these results for informed and effectively timed advocacy for resources for family planning. 

  • This policy brief highlights the USAID-funded Health Policy Project's in-depth analysis of fertility and family planning trends in the Amhara Region, based on the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2011. The findings demonstrate that early marriage is pervasive in Amhara (leading to earlier childbearing), and that 22 percent of married women in the region have an unmet need for family planning. There are disparities in the uptake of family planning, with rural women and those with no formal education being particularly difficult to reach. The quality of family planning services was also found to be a barrier to family planning use, with many women receiving inadequate counseling about available contraceptive methods or side effects. Based on the study's findings, crucial actions are recommended for expanding and improving family planning services and reducing fertility in the Amhara Region, which can inform family planning policy development and advocacy in the region.

  • This presentation aims to raise awareness about the impact of rapid population growth on Malawi’s development. It includes projections of population growth from 2008 to 2040 based on two hypothetical population scenarios. One scenario assumes that women in Malawi will continue to have 5.7 children on average during their lifetime, while the other scenario assumes a gradual decline in fertility to three children per woman. The first scenario with continued high fertility shows the population growing from about 13 million people in 2008 to 38 million people in 2040. By contrast, the second scenario with lower fertility shows an increase from about 13 million people to 30 million. By 2040, Malawi would have over 8 million fewer people if women were to have three children instead of nearly six.

    These projections demonstrate the impact that rapid population growth can have on various sectors, such as education, health, agriculture and food security, environment and land use, and the labour force and employment.

  • This briefing book aims to raise awareness about the impact of population growth on Malawi's development. It includes projections of population growth from 2008 to 2040 based on two hypothetical population scenarios. One scenario assumes that women in Malawi will continue to have 5.7 children on average during their lifetime, while the other scenario assumes a gradual decline in fertility to 3 children per women. The first scenario with continued high fertility shows the population growing from about 13 million in 2008 to 38 million in 2040. By contrast, the second scenario with lower fertility shows an increase from about 13 million in 2008 to 30 million in 2040. By 2040, Malawi would have more than 8 million fewer people if women were to have three children instead of nearly six. 

    These projections demonstrate the impact that rapid population growth can have on various sectors, such as education, health, agriculture and food security, environment and land use, and the labor force and employment. In the case of education and health, a slower population growth rate results in less pressure on the government budget to provide free primary education and public health services. 

  • This 2-page briefer aims to raise awareness about the impact of rapid population growth on Malawi's development. 

  • In 2011, the Health Policy Project, in collaboration with the Family Planning Action Group (FPAG), supported the development of a Nigeria RAPID application. The FPAG, comprising governmental and nongovernmental organizations, focuses on the state of family planning in Nigeria and the need for more support and funding for the national family planning program. “RAPID” stands for “Resources for the Awareness of Population Impacts on Development,” and it is a tool designed to help policymakers understand the relationships between fertility, population growth, health, education, agriculture, economic growth, and national security. This package of materials uses RAPID projections to highlight the impact of Nigeria's population growth on national development and its ability to provide education, health, and nutrition to all its citizens. By lowering average fertility, savings in primary education and health could amount to $37 billion and $45 billion, respectively, by 2040.

    Also see the RAPID package of materials highlighting the impact of high fertility on maternal and child health: Nigeria RAPID Population and Development: Why Fertility Affects Health.

  • In 2011, the Health Policy Project, in collaboration with the Family Planning Action Group (FPAG), supported the development of a Nigeria RAPID application. The FPAG, comprising governmental and nongovernmental organizations, focuses on the state of family planning in Nigeria and the need for more support and funding for the national family planning program. “RAPID” stands for “Resources for the Awareness of Population Impacts on Development,” and it is a tool designed to help policymakers understand the relationships between fertility, population growth, health, education, agriculture, economic growth, and national security. This package of materials uses RAPID projections to highlight the large unmet need for family planning in Nigeria and its impact on maternal and child health. By lowering average fertility in the country, 31,000 maternal deaths and 1.5 million child deaths could be averted by 2021.

    Also see the RAPID package of materials highlighting the impact of rapid population growth on the country's development: Nigeria RAPID Population and Development: How Fertility Affects Development.

  • “Population, Development, and Family Planning: The Urgency to Act” highlights the health benefits and cost savings associated with meeting all unmet need for family planning in nine francophone West African countries by 2030. If governments invested in meeting family planning needs, an estimated 500,000 infant deaths and 7,400 maternal deaths could be averted over the next decade. Similarly, if the nine governments invested US$84 million in family planning services over the next decade, they would save $195 million needed for programs to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2020. In other words, for every dollar invested in family planning programs, governments could save US$2.30 in reduced expenditures for maternal health, malaria, immunization, education and water and sanitation programs.

    Dr. Johanna Austin Lucinda Benjamin, Director of Primary Health Care and Disease Control of the West African Health Organization, presented these findings at the West Africa regional conference on Population, Development and Family Planning, held in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso, on February 8–11, 2011.

  • Health financing was the theme of a major national conference held in Calabar, Nigeria in November 2011. The specific focus of the three-day conference was “Improving Financial Access to Health Services for the Poor in Nigeria.” Participants shared information on a wide range of health financing strategies and mechanisms employed in Nigeria as well as other countries. The 255 participants represented a broad range of expertise; they included health managers and providers, insurance specialists, health economists, government officials, and media representatives from all 36 states and the national capital. State representatives met in regional groups to discuss the approaches most applicable to their area and formulate plans to apply these approaches at the state or community level. The conference generated many “actionable” policy and program initiatives that the states and federal government can adopt.

    This is one of the five presentations made by the Health Policy Project. The presenter explains how to measure poverty and inequality, how to display poverty data to illustrate inequities in health status and use of health services, and, finally, how to understand and address common data challenges.

  • Demographic pressures and lack of progress toward the Millennium Development Goals have encouraged countries in West Africa to "take a new look" at repositioning of family planning (RFP)---an initiative established to ensure that FP remains a priority for donors, policymakers, and service providers in sub-Saharan Africa. USAID requested that the Health Policy Project apply the newly developed "Framework for Monitoring and Evaluating Efforts to Reposition Family Planning" in Niger and Togo. The framework results represent a baseline that can subsequently be used to measure progress in RFP by country FP stakeholders. USAID also requested an assessment of policy barriers to community-based distribution of FP---the findings for which are included in this report. Niger’s family planning program has made considerable progress in the past five years. Signs of progress are a favorable policy environment, growing public support for family planning, and increased funding for contraceptive commodities. Family planning is provided free of charge and is included in the Minimum Package of Services that all public health facilities must provide. Still, challenges remain to meet unmet need for family planning, extend services to rural areas, and ensure that people have adequate information about contraceptive methods.

    To read the results of the application in Togo, view the report and brief, Repositioning Family Planning in Togo: A Baseline.

    Applications in six other countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal) were later conducted by Futures Group, with funding from the Hewlett Foundation. To access those reports and briefs, visit the Futures Group Publications webpage.

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  • Demographic pressures and lack of progress toward the Millennium Development Goals have encouraged countries in West Africa to "take a new look" at repositioning of family planning (RFP)---an initiative established to ensure that FP remains a priority for donors, policymakers, and service providers in sub-Saharan Africa. USAID requested that the Health Policy Project apply the newly developed "Framework for Monitoring and Evaluating Efforts to Reposition Family Planning" in Niger and Togo. The framework results represent a baseline that can subsequently be used to measure progress in RFP by country FP stakeholders. USAID also requested an assessment of policy barriers to community-based distribution of FP---the findings for which are included in this report. Although considerable progress has taken place in Togo in terms of RFP, much remains to be done. Efforts to date appear to have improved acceptance of FP and present opportunities for additional improvement.

    To read the results of the application in Niger, view the report and brief, Repositioning Family Planning in Niger: A Baseline.

    Applications in six other countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal) were later conducted by Futures Group, with funding from the Hewlett Foundation. To access those reports and briefs, visit the Futures Group Publications webpage.

     

  • The increasing demand for family planning (FP) services coupled with decreases resources highlights the need to develop and implement strategies to ensure access to FP services for all. One way for governments to do this is to enact policies that facilitate market segmentation for contraceptives to shift financial pressures on governments, donors, and non-profit organizations from the public to private, for-profit sector. This report highlights results from a desk review and key informant interviews in Burkina Faso which assess pricing policies for contraceptives and provide recommendations to ensure availability and sustainability of contraceptives.

  • The increasing demand for family planning (FP) services coupled with decreases resources highlights the need to develop and implement strategies to ensure access to FP services for all. One way for governments to do this is to enact policies that facilitate market segmentation for contraceptives to shift financial pressures on governments, donors, and non-profit organizations from the public to private, for-profit sector. This report highlights results from a desk review and key informant interviews in Togo which assess pricing policies for contraceptives and provide recommendations to ensure availability and sustainability of contraceptives.

  • The increasing demand for family planning (FP) services, coupled with scarce resources highlights the need to develop and implement strategies that ensure access to FP services for all. One way governments more effectively target decreasing resources is to enact policies that shift FP users who can pay for services from the public to the the private, for-profit sector, thereby lessening financial pressures on governments, donors, and non-profit organizations. In order to assess pricing barriers for contraceptives in Mauritania, HPP conducted a desk review and key informant interviews to develop comprehensive recommendations to revised pricing policies for contraceptives to ensure availability and sustainability of contraceptives.

  • The right to freely and responsibly decide if, when, and how many children to have has been enshrined in numerous international treaties, conventions, and political consensus documents. Governments are obligated to manifest their international commitments to family planning and reproductive health and rights through their policies and funded programs, at the national, state/province, and local level. Yet the reality on the ground is that for most countries worldwide, from the least to the most developed countries, governments fail in many respects to operationalize these international commitments.

    In recent years, the international development community has turned its attention to the role of accountability in achieving greater impact of development interventions.Social accountability is characterized primarily by the active involvement of citizens engaging with government decision-making processes to ensure government fulfills its commitments and implements policies and programs appropriately. While the FP/RH community has a long-standing commitment to advocacy and social mobilization to advance reproductive rights, some social accountability concepts and interventions are relatively new to the FP/RH community. This guidance document is a primer for CSOs working in health that are looking to initiate or expand activities aimed to hold government entities accountable for delivering on their national and international commitments related to family planning/reproductive health and rights.

    This document provides:

    • An overview of current concepts of social accountability.

    • A synopsis of common methodologies and tools used by civil society to engage in social accountability.

    • Ideas and examples on how social accountability can be used to further FP/RH within a country.

    • Suggestions on what elements CSOs might take into consideration when deciding to implement a particular methodology

    • A selection of documents and resources that may be helpful in implementing social accountability activities.

  • At the Ouagadougou Partnership and Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) meetings, governments committed to improving access to family planning services and information. Costed Implementation Plans (CIPs) for family planning services and information provide a framework and tools for governments to achieve their international family planning commitments. This booklet, prepared by the Health Policy Project, highlights the methodology behind CIPs, walks through 10 steps for designing and implementing a national CIP for family planning, and shares experiences from seven African countries that have developed national CIPs for family planning to inform their decision making. It is estimated that implementation of the CIPs will accelerate each country's progress toward both achieving its target contraceptive prevalence rate and reducing maternal and child mortality.  

  • Health financing was the theme of a major national conference held in Calabar, Nigeria in November 2011. The specific focus of the three-day conference was “Improving Financial Access to Health Services for the Poor in Nigeria.” Participants shared information on a wide range of health financing strategies and mechanisms employed in Nigeria as well as other countries. The 255 participants represented a broad range of expertise; they included health managers and providers, insurance specialists, health economists, government officials, and media representatives from all 36 states and the national capital. State representatives met in regional groups to discuss the approaches most applicable to their area and formulate plans to apply these approaches at the state or community level. The conference generated many “actionable” policy and program initiatives that the states and federal government can adopt.

    This presentation is one of five presentations made by the Health Policy Project. The presenter gave an overview of a pilot project in Kenya, which found that the provision of subsidized vouchers for maternal health and family planning services were effective in reaching the poor at a reasonable cost; providers were paid for specific services (rather than supporting operating costs).

  • This presentation is one of five made by the Health Policy Project at a national health financing conference held in Calabar, Nigeria, in November 2011. Participants, including health managers and providers, insurance specialists, health economists, government officials, and media representatives, shared information on a wide range of health financing strategies and mechanisms employed in Nigeria and other countries.

    The Equity Framework is an approach that targets family planning and reproductive health resources to the poor—a segment of the population that is often overlooked in health program planning. The presentation examines a case study in Jharkhand, India—one of India’s poorest states—where health planners applied the Equity Framework to develop a voucher scheme to enable low-income women to access reproductive health services. Conference participants were able to learn from the success garnered in India and adopt similar policy and program initiatives to expand access to family planning and reproductive health services to the poor in Nigeria.

  • Health financing was the theme of a major national conference held in Calabar, Nigeria in November 2011. The specific focus of the three-day conference was “Improving Financial Access to Health Services for the Poor in Nigeria.” Participants shared information on a wide range of health financing strategies and mechanisms employed in Nigeria as well as other countries. The 255 participants represented a broad range of expertise; they included health managers and providers, insurance specialists, health economists, government officials, and media representatives from all 36 states and the national capital. State representatives met in regional groups to discuss the approaches most applicable to their area and formulate plans to apply these approaches at the state or community level. The conference generated many “actionable” policy and program initiatives that the states and federal government can adopt.

    This presentation is one of five presentations made by the Health Policy Project. The presenter gave an overview of an activity in Peru, where family planning advocates analyzed the needs of low-income women and successfully tapped into funding sources at the local, regional, and national level to increase access to FP services.

  • This presentation of the demographic dividend and implications for Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries was given at the 2nd Nigeria National Family Planning Conference in  Abuja, November 27-December 1, 2012. The demographic dividend is an opportunity for higher economic growth rates that occurs due to changes in the structure of a country’s population. In order for the dividend to be achieved, countries first have to open the “window of opportunity” by promoting demographic change. At the same time, they have to capitalize on the demographic opportunity through socioeconomic policies. The presentation reviews current demographic indicators for Nigeria, highlighting comparisons with other countries that have opened the window of opportunity and achieved the dividend, as well as presents some of the policy investments required now and in the future.

  • The GAP Tool (Gather, Analyze, and Plan) is a simple Excel-based tool designed to help policymakers, ministry officials, health officials, and advocates understand and plan for the costs associated with expanding family planning (FP) to achieve their country's contraceptive prevalence or fertility goals. This PowerPoint presentation provides a brief overview of the benefits of and major steps for applying the GAP Tool and includes highlights from a pilot application of the tool in Ethiopia and Nigeria.  

  • The GAP Tool (Gather, Analyze, and Plan) is a simple Excel-based tool designed to help policymakers, ministry officials, health officials, and advocates understand and plan for the costs associated with expanding family planning (FP) to achieve their country's contraceptive prevalence or fertility goals. This brief provides a brief overview of the benefits of and major steps for applying the GAP Tool and includes highlights from a pilot application of the tool in Ethiopia and Nigeria.  

  • In developing countries, governments are increasingly turning to innovative policy measures to improve access to basic health services. In Guatemala, policies were introduced to protect the financing and provision of family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) services. Follow-on legislation earmarked 30 percent of the alcohol tax revenue for the Ministry of Health (MOH) to purchase contraceptives. To determine the impact of the revenue on the FP/RH budget, the Health and Education Policy Project (HEPP) evaluated whether the funds were available and used as legislated. HEPP gathered data on MOH funds and alcohol tax funds retrospectively to see if the policy was working as intended. Budget tracking constitutes a practical, sustainable tool for non-experts to assess transparency.