INTEGRATION OF SAA – SRH/FP INTO PCTFI/IMAGE GHANA

1. INTEGRATION OF SAA – SRH/FP INTO PCTFI/IMAGE GHANA Two Areas of operation: Staff capacity building and organizational learning in the use of SAA Strategy / Program Development in FP

2. Team Members • Bright Wireko Brobby • Mercy Kwafoa • Abigail Nketiah • James Owusu-Akyaw

3. This presentation covers: • Staff capacity building and organizational learning in the use of SAA • Objectives • Activity line-up • Best practices • Lessons learnt and challenges • Next steps

4. Staff capacity building and organizational learning in the use of SAA Objectives • Transform staff capacity in FP • Build staff capacity in the use of SAA to improve SRH/FP results • Identify the social factors influencing the Sexual Reproductive Health of school children with emphasis on girls. • Develop strategies to challenge the identified factors with corresponding action plans. • Monitor implementation of communities action plans developed

5. Staff capacity building and organizational learning in the use of SAA Activity line-up • Staff capacity transformation workshop • Initial stakeholders meetings • Staff capacity building in the use of SAA Approach - Community reflection meetings to identify social factors - Development of communities’ Plans of Action to challenge factors - Implementation of Action Plans in Communities • Next steps

6. Staff Capacity Transformation Workshop Objectives • To strengthen CARE staff to self-reflect, stimulating personal change in their thinking about gender and Family Planning (highlight the new ideas in FP) • To introduce them to the use of SAA approach to improve community SRH/FP results. • To explain the FP results framework with social change component.

7. Staff Capacity Transformation Workshop Process 17 Kumasi sub-office staff were taking through: • Kigali workshop overview • overview of FP • Contraceptive Technology update • Social Analysis and Action Approach and • Values clarification exercise. To help participants understand their own gender attitudes and values with reference to FP

8. Staff Capacity Transformation Workshop Value Clarification Exercise • The exercise was full of excitement as staff strongly defended their views and tried to influence the values of others in vain. • The learning was that individuals are entitled to their own opinions/values. • Force cannot be applied to change values.

9. Staff Capacity Transformation Workshop Statements for the value clarification exercise • A man should have a final word about decisions in his home; • It is a woman’s responsibility to avoid getting pregnant; • A woman’s most important role is to take care of her home and cook for her family • The husband should decide the major household items to buy

10. Staff Capacity Transformation Workshop Expression of an individual’s view about a statement Individuals expressing their views during values clarification/voting Staff holding on to their values Staff trying to argue out their views Staff explaining issues in their favor “you can not convince me Staff protecting their values and trying to influence others in vain

11. Initial Meetings • Debriefing staff meeting in the Kumasi sub-office. • Decided with management to implement in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality (a district) • Held separate meetings with District Assembly, Health and education Directorates. • Held the district stakeholders’ meeting to select 4 communities (Adumasa, Abenase, Nkyerepoaso and Tikrom) • Introductory meetings in the 4 communities.

12. Initial Meetings Ejisu-Juaben Municipality Stakeholders’ Meeting • Criteria for selecting the communities: • High dropout rate for girls • High incidence of adolescent pregnancies and SRH problems • High level of Community Participation • The absence of chieftaincy disputes. • Easy accessibility • Selected Communities • Abenase • Adumasa • Nkyerepoaso • Tikrom Mercy explaining the concept to facilitate the selection of communities Group picture of District stakeholders

13. Initial Meetings Communities stakeholders’ meetings Majority of the community stakeholders who participated in the initial meeting were males. Adumasa Tikrom Abenase Nkyerepoaso

14. Staff capacity building in the use of SAA Approach Community Reflection Meetings - Activities • The Ideal Man / Ideal Woman -To distinguish between gender and sex -to explore socially defined gender roles -to recognize gender stereotypes • Learning - Further, they identified the characteristics that they wanted their children to have. - Self assessment leading to behaviour change and a change of mind about what a woman can do. -After this activity the females started contributing to discussions.

15. Staff capacity building in the use of SAA Approach Men and women brainstorming on who an idea man/woman is Community reflection meetings to identify social factors

16. Staff capacity building in the use of SAA Approach Problem Tree • to identify social, cultural and economic factors influencing the SRH of the school children esp. girls • The community members were serious about this exercise and really brought out realistic factors because they were serious about supporting the children to improve their current sexual behaviors. They did not hide their own weaknesses. In all four communities poor parental care emerged as a strong factor. • This tool was used to identify the social, cultural and economic factors influencing sexual and reproductive health of school children.

17. Staff capacity building in the use of SAA Approach Problem tree exercise Community members deliberating on factors social, cultural and economic factors influencing sexual and reproductive health of school children Presentations of Problem tree

18. Staff capacity building in the use of SAA Approach Some identified social, cultural and economic factors influencing sexual and reproductive health of school children Neglect of some good cultural practices Children giving birth and large family sizes. Poverty Divorce Proliferation of video centers in the communities • Lack of Parental care – neglect/ inability to provide basic needs for children. • Poor child care support from fathers. • Negative parental influence. • Wake-keeping during funerals with the involvement of children.

19. Staff capacity building in the use of SAA Approach Key emerging factors indicated by all four (4) communities Suggested Solutions to Challenge the Factors Sensitization of parents and capacity building in: Good parental care Family Planning and Resource Management Intensifying life skills education for children Psycho-social life skills education with emphasis on SRH • Poor parental care • Poor time management (children) • poverty

20. Development of communities’ Plans of Action to challenge factors Merged Action Plan for All Four (4) Communities

21. Best Practices • Initial involvement of the district stakeholders. DA linked us to the Assemblymen of the selected communities; created an enabling environment for community interactions. • Participatory planning with the communities- Meeting days and time. • No wrong or right answers during. • Provision of materials needed for the activities • Group work involving discussions and presentations. • Sharing of experiences.

23. Next Steps • Implementation of action plans by communities • Regular monitoring visits to the communities by CARE • CARE to work on objective 2; developing a strategy to address socio-cultural barriers to FP; produce a concept paper to fundraise for a 24 months program.

24. Me d’ase