Advocacy for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) using the results of the 2004 National Demographic and Reproductive Health Survey (ENDSSR) to improve the knowledge of government officials and civil society leaders about SRHR issues.
This is an IPPF Innovation Fund project implemented by The Cento Paraguayo de Estudios de Población (CEPEP), an IPPF Member Association in Paraguay in the Western Hemisphere Region.
“Within the SRH context, we have lately seen that a lot has been done within institutions, but we still see that rights – many health personnel, us included – did not know about these rights and I think it has been very helpful and added a lot to the national plan… It was a complete review of the indicators in the context of the plan and I believe that is very important. In that sense I believe it had a considerably large impact." (Focus Group Woman 1)
Why is this work important?
This is the first time that the ENDSSR survey findings have been disseminated and used outside of the Paraguayan capital city, to inform local government officials and civil society, about the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women in general, and specifically those of the most vulnerable women who do not have access to reproductive health care.
With the recent change in government and the incipient health decentralisation system that is being implemented in Paraguay, the project has been an opportunity to increase support for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues through the sensitization of local authorities, municipalities, government officials and decision makers.
It is also an important opportunity for The Cento Paraguayo de Estudios de Población (CEPEP) to establish a method for collaborative work with state agencies and international cooperation agencies.
What is innovative about this project?
For The Cento Paraguayo de Estudios de Población (CEPEP), this was the first time it had undertaken such a nation-wide project, focusing its advocacy activities on the interior of the country through a series of 17 workshops aimed at local government officials, decision makers and civil society representatives in different locations throughout Paraguay.
The workshops addressed 5 key issues which had not been discussed before:
- the right to safe motherhood, prenatal care and care during childbirth
- the right to family planning
- the right to not be discriminated against
- the right to information about health
- the right to protection from violence
Gender was addressed through a focus on women’s sexual and reproductive rights with an emphasis on the information collected about women of reproductive age (15 to 44 years) throughout the country.
The rights-based focus was innovative for many officials as was the inter-sectoral approach on sexual and reproductive rights, which brought together local government and civil society organizations for the first time to discuss these issues.
CEPEP was also able to position itself strategically in conjunction with international cooperation agencies and promote the use of evidence-based research to generate action and public policies.
How is the strategy working?
The project was started in 2006 but was primarily implemented in 2008.
The project was interrupted in the middle by national elections, but was able to adapt to the changing national context and benefit from the unprecedented change in government and the ensuing reforms to the public health system.
When the new government took office, CEPEP was able to become part of a broad alliance that included:
- the Ministry of Health (MOH)
- the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
who worked together to disseminate the new government health policy, validate the National Sexual and Reproductive Health Plan (PNSSR) 2009-2013 and disseminate the results of ENDSSR 2004 (the Innovation Fund Project) in 17 of the 18 health districts in Paraguay.
The collaboration with the MOH, PAHO and UNFPA was possible due to the strategic positioning of CEPEP and the use of the political opportunity presented by the change of government, and an increased focus on social and rights issues.
Consequently, 3 initiatives and 2 projects were joined together in one nationwide initiative.
This meant that the beneficiaries also included officials and health providers from the 17 districts, officials from the Ministry of Health Headquarters and civil society organizations.
The main impact was the sexual rights approach itself, which, according to findings from the evaluation focus group, was completely novel for officials from the interior of the country and for health officials and providers.
What next?
The experience gained by CEPEP in planning advocacy projects with officials during election cycles is invaluable.
There are plans to use the same methodology in the near future, with the likelihood of CEPEP disseminating the results of ENDSSR 2008 (to be published in September 2009) within a framework of activities conducted by the Ministry of Health.
Want to find out more?
Please contact:
The Innovation fund team at: innovation@ippf.org
IPPF Western Hemisphere Region website: http://www.ippfwhr.org
The Cento Paraguayo de Estudios de Población (CEPEP): http://www.cepep.org.py