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2003

Population Council

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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Testing Balanced Counseling To Improve Provider-Client Interaction In Guatemala's Moh Clinics, Federico R. Leon, Carlos Brambila, Marisela De La Cruz, John H. Bratt, Julio Garcia Colindres, Benedicto Vasquez, Carlos Morales Jan 2003

Testing Balanced Counseling To Improve Provider-Client Interaction In Guatemala's Moh Clinics, Federico R. Leon, Carlos Brambila, Marisela De La Cruz, John H. Bratt, Julio Garcia Colindres, Benedicto Vasquez, Carlos Morales

Reproductive Health

The job aids–assisted Balanced Counseling Strategy adopted by Guatemala’s Ministry of Health required specific instructions for use by nonprofessional providers and an intervention that assured provider compliance with the behavioral requirements of the new paradigm. Results show that the trained providers outperformed the controls in quality of care at each level of session length, but used nine extra minutes per session on average. Nonprofessional providers can take advantage of the job aids–assisted Balanced Counseling Algorithm and substantially improve their quality of care. Extra time invested in counseling new family planning clients will be easily absorbed insofar as they continue to …

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Renforcement Des Capacites Villageoises: Comment 23 Villages S'Initient Aux Droits Humains Et Abandonnent La Pratique De L'Excision Au Burkina Faso, Nafissatou J. Diop, Edmond Bagde, Djingri Ouoba, Molly Melching Jan 2003

Renforcement Des Capacites Villageoises: Comment 23 Villages S'Initient Aux Droits Humains Et Abandonnent La Pratique De L'Excision Au Burkina Faso, Nafissatou J. Diop, Edmond Bagde, Djingri Ouoba, Molly Melching

Reproductive Health

This document is a summary of the process followed in implementing a community-based education program in Burkina Faso. The Population Council initiated a collaboration between two NGOs, Tostan in Senegal and Mwangaza Action in Burkina Faso, to replicate the program for improving women’s reproductive health and contributing to the end of female genital cutting (FGC). In Burkina Faso, the participants (men and women) held discussions to analyze the problems faced by their communities and to find appropriate solutions. Many positive changes occurred in the participating villages: the communities now promote reproductive health and human rights and work to improve public …

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The Impact Of Quality Of Care On Contraceptive Use: Evidence From Longitudinal Data From Rural Bangladesh, Michael A. Koenig Jan 2003

The Impact Of Quality Of Care On Contraceptive Use: Evidence From Longitudinal Data From Rural Bangladesh, Michael A. Koenig

Reproductive Health

This project provides convincing empirical evidence on the impact of quality of care on contraceptive use and fertility behavior through analysis of a unique longitudinal data set from rural Bangladesh. The findings from this project add important new and methodologically rigorous evidence to the emerging literature on the implications of service quality on contraceptive behavior. The results reaffirm the importance of female fieldworker outreach—both in terms of quality and the number of visits—on contraceptive use dynamics in rural Bangladesh. In addition to these substantive findings, the study makes important methodological contributions in assessing the impact of programmatic variables—especially quality of …

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Policy And Program Implications Of The Matching Grants Program In The Philippines, Marilou Palabrica-Costello, Nimfa Ogena, Alejandro N. Herrin Jan 2003

Policy And Program Implications Of The Matching Grants Program In The Philippines, Marilou Palabrica-Costello, Nimfa Ogena, Alejandro N. Herrin

Reproductive Health

In 1999, the Philippines Department of Health, with support from USAID and technical assistance from Management Sciences for Health (MSH), implemented the matching grants program (MGP) as a component of the local government performance program. The MGP aims to improve the capability of municipalities and component cities to expand service delivery, and to achieve significant increases in rates of fully immunized children, vitamin A supplementation, tetanus toxoid immunization for women, as well as in the use of family planning methods, especially modern methods. Upon the request of the USAID Mission, the Frontiers in Reproductive Health program worked closely with MSH …

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Improving Postpartum Care Among Low Parity Mothers In Palestine, Center For Development In Primary Health Care (Cdphc) Jan 2003

Improving Postpartum Care Among Low Parity Mothers In Palestine, Center For Development In Primary Health Care (Cdphc)

Reproductive Health

In an effort to improve the health status of Palestinian women and their children in the West Bank and Gaza, USAID, in collaboration with the Palestinian Ministry of Health and a number of NGOs, designed and funded a 28-month pilot activity, the Pilot Health Project (PHP), that was expected to have a positive impact on the health of women and children. This report describes the results of the intervention designed to measure the effectiveness of a second home visit on low-parity women in 1) improving their knowledge and practices regarding their own health as well as the health of their …

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Assessment Of Pilot Health Project Outcome Indicators: West Bank/Gaza, Laila Nawar, Dale Huntington, Ibrahim Kharboush, Nancy Ali, Mahmoud Shaheen Jan 2003

Assessment Of Pilot Health Project Outcome Indicators: West Bank/Gaza, Laila Nawar, Dale Huntington, Ibrahim Kharboush, Nancy Ali, Mahmoud Shaheen

Reproductive Health

The Pilot Health Project (PHP) was designed to address Palestinian women’s most pressing reproductive health needs. This report presents results from a single cross-sectional study that was conducted by the Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute (HDIP) between May and August 2000 in order to determine the baseline measures for the PHP’s key outcome indicators among healthcare providers and clients in the PHP clinics. Based on the findings reflected by the study, a number of recommendations were made that need to be followed up and implemented by the Improved Village and Community Health Services Project. These include the need for …

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Introducing Dmpa Injectable Contraceptives To Private Medical Practitioners In Urban Gujarat, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2003

Introducing Dmpa Injectable Contraceptives To Private Medical Practitioners In Urban Gujarat, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Many public, NGO, and private-sector service-delivery systems are suitably matched to the requirements of providing injectable contraceptives in India, including the ability to ensure choice and service delivery quality. This operations research study was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of providing injectable contraceptives in private medical practices and to contribute to the body of scientific literature on the acceptability of this method in India. DKT India and EngenderHealth formed a partnership with the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health program to conduct this study in Gujarat. The ability to generate recommendations is limited, however, by the special characteristics of the …

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Actions That Protect: Promoting Sexual And Reproductive Health And Choice Among Young People In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Mary Philip Sebastian Jan 2003

Actions That Protect: Promoting Sexual And Reproductive Health And Choice Among Young People In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Mary Philip Sebastian

Reproductive Health

This paper synthesises the evidence on the sexual and reproductive health situation of young people in India, and explores what we know about underlying factors that place them at risk of or protect them from unsafe and unwanted sexual and reproductive health experiences. The picture that emerges suggests that substantial proportions of young people experience risky or unwanted sexual activity, do not receive prompt or appropriate care, and experience adverse reproductive health outcomes. Contextual factors such as poverty, gender imbalances and lack of education or livelihood opportunities clearly increase the vulnerability of youth. Other factors at the family, community and …

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Changing Family Planning Scenario In India: An Overview Of Recent Evidence, K.G. Santhya Jan 2003

Changing Family Planning Scenario In India: An Overview Of Recent Evidence, K.G. Santhya

Reproductive Health

Over the decades, there has been a substantial increase in contraceptive use in India. The direction, emphasis and strategies of the Family Welfare Programme have changed over time. However, meeting the contraceptive needs of considerable proportions of women and men and improving the quality of family planning services continue to be a challenge. The 1990s witnessed a growing recognition of this, and several innovative policy and programme initiatives have been launched to address these issues. This paper reviews and synthesises evidence from surveys and studies conducted in the 1990s and thereafter on contraceptive use dynamics and the unmet need for …

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Creation Of A Unified Management Information System For Three Ngos In The West Bank And Gaza, Health, Development, Information And Policy Institute Jan 2003

Creation Of A Unified Management Information System For Three Ngos In The West Bank And Gaza, Health, Development, Information And Policy Institute

Reproductive Health

The goal of the Pilot Health Project (PHP) has been to improve the health status of Palestinian women and children. To further this goal, the Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute (HDIP) was given the responsibility to develop a management information system (MIS) for the collection, storage, processing, and dissemination of information for PHP clinics. In cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH) and various healthcare providers and MIS professionals, HDIP worked through a carefully organized and highly participatory process to design and develop the MIS for the PHP. This report reviews that process and presents the features of …

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Non-Consensual Sexual Experiences Of Young People: A Review Of The Evidence From Developing Countries, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Sarah Bott Jan 2003

Non-Consensual Sexual Experiences Of Young People: A Review Of The Evidence From Developing Countries, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Sarah Bott

Reproductive Health

Although there is increasing evidence of risky consensual sex among young people in developing countries, non-consensual sexual experiences among them have rarely been studied and few interventions have been designed to protect them from the risks of such experiences. However, what is available suggests that coercion and unwantedness may play a considerable role in the sexual relations of young people—girls and young women but also boys and young men. The implications of non-consensual sexual experiences for young people’s rights, their health and development and the risks they pose in the transition to adulthood are enormous. This review collates what is …

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Wage Work And Marriage: Perspectives Of Egyptian Working Women, Sajeda Amin, Nagah Hassan Al Bassusi Jan 2003

Wage Work And Marriage: Perspectives Of Egyptian Working Women, Sajeda Amin, Nagah Hassan Al Bassusi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper explores young working women’s perceptions of marriage and work in contemporary Egypt at a time when an increase in age at marriage was evident from national survey data. Data from two nationally representative labor surveys, the Labor Force Sample Survey of 1988 and the Egypt Labor Market Survey of 1998, show that working conditions and employment opportunities declined significantly for young women even as their educational attainment increased. Indepth interviews were conducted with young women working in a range of salaried jobs in three locations: a rural village in Mansoura, a periurban district near Cairo, and in the …

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The Ghana Community-Based Health Planning And Services Initiative: Fostering Evidence-Based Organizational Change And Development In A Resource-Constrained Setting, Frank K. Nyonator, John Koku Awoonor-Williams, James F. Phillips, Tanya C. Jones, Robert A. Miller Jan 2003

The Ghana Community-Based Health Planning And Services Initiative: Fostering Evidence-Based Organizational Change And Development In A Resource-Constrained Setting, Frank K. Nyonator, John Koku Awoonor-Williams, James F. Phillips, Tanya C. Jones, Robert A. Miller

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Research projects demonstrating ways to improve health services often fail to have an impact on what national health programs actually do. An approach to evidence-based policy development has been launched in Ghana that bridges the gap between research and program implementation. The Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) initiative employs strategies tested in the successful Navrongo experiment to guide national health reforms that mobilize volunteers, resources, and cultural institutions to support community-based primary health care. Over the 1999 to 2002 period, 100 out of the 110 districts in Ghana adopted a CHPS initiative. This paper reviews features of the initiative …

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Primary Schooling In Sub-Saharan Africa: Recent Trends And Current Challenges, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Paul C. Hewett Jan 2003

Primary Schooling In Sub-Saharan Africa: Recent Trends And Current Challenges, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Paul C. Hewett

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

At the dawn of the twenty-first century we estimate that more than 37 million young adolescents aged 10-14 in sub-Saharan Africa will not complete primary school. Our estimates are based on data from nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys from 26 countries, collectively representing 83 percent of the sub-Saharan youth population. This number is nearly twice the entire population of children aged 10-14 in the United States, virtually all of whom will complete primary school. Reducing the number of uneducated African youth is a primary objective of the United Nations as laid out in the Millennium Development Goal for education, …

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My Father Didn't Think This Way': Nigerian Boys Contemplate Gender Equality, Françoise Girard Jan 2003

My Father Didn't Think This Way': Nigerian Boys Contemplate Gender Equality, Françoise Girard

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

One of the lessons emerging from adolescent programs around the world is the need to create settings where young men can question things that are often seen as unquestionable, such as what it means to be a man. This issue explores the Conscientizing Male Adolescents (CMA) program in Nigeria which, unlike many programs targeting adolescent boys that emphasize short-term activities aimed at preventing disease and unwanted pregnancy, is a long-term program focusing on sexism and critical-thinking skills. An initial evaluation indicates that such programs affirm that we do know how to engage young men, and that historically reinforced gender attitudes …

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Wage Work And Marriage: Perspectives Of Egyptian Working Women [Arabic], Sajeda Amin, Nagah Hassan Al Bassusi Jan 2003

Wage Work And Marriage: Perspectives Of Egyptian Working Women [Arabic], Sajeda Amin, Nagah Hassan Al Bassusi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper explores young working women’s perceptions of marriage and work in contemporary Egypt at a time when an increase in age at marriage was evident from national survey data. Data from two nationally representative labor surveys, the Labor Force Sample Survey of 1988 and the Egypt Labor Market Survey of 1998, show that working conditions and employment opportunities declined significantly for young women even as their educational attainment increased. Indepth interviews were conducted with young women working in a range of salaried jobs in three locations: a rural village in Mansoura, a periurban district near Cairo, and in the …

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How Indicators Of Socioeconomic Status Relate To Physical Functioning Of Older Adults In Three Asian Societies, Zachary Zimmer, Napaporn Chayovan, Hui-Sheng Lin, Josefina N. Natividad Jan 2003

How Indicators Of Socioeconomic Status Relate To Physical Functioning Of Older Adults In Three Asian Societies, Zachary Zimmer, Napaporn Chayovan, Hui-Sheng Lin, Josefina N. Natividad

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In developed countries, socioeconomic status has been identified as one of the most important demographic and social determinants of older adult health. The relationship has not been well studied or contrasted across much of the developing world. Yet, with population aging occurring rapidly in much of Asia, understanding the factors that distinguish between those in better and worse health becomes important. To this end, the current study has two main aims. It first examines the degree to which two measures commonly used to indicate socioeconomic status, education and income, relate to the physical functioning of older adults in three Asian …

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Marriage In Transition: Evidence On Age, Education, And Assets From Six Developing Countries, Agnes R. Quisumbing, Kelly Hallman Jan 2003

Marriage In Transition: Evidence On Age, Education, And Assets From Six Developing Countries, Agnes R. Quisumbing, Kelly Hallman

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Marriage is an event of great social and economic significance in most societies. Despite the centrality of marriage in an individual’s life history, the literature on marriage patterns pays little attention to men. This paper examines trends in schooling, age, and assets at marriage for both men and women, and spousal differences in these variables in six countries-Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Africa-using comparable data sets and methodologies.

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Consistency In The Reporting Of Sexual Behavior Among Adolescent Girls In Kenya: A Comparison Of Interviewing Methods, Paul C. Hewett, Barbara Mensch, Annabel Erulkar Jan 2003

Consistency In The Reporting Of Sexual Behavior Among Adolescent Girls In Kenya: A Comparison Of Interviewing Methods, Paul C. Hewett, Barbara Mensch, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper explores the consistency in reporting of sexual behavior in a household survey of adolescents aged 15-21 in the Kisumu district of Kenya. Respondents were randomly assigned to different interviewing modes: face-to-face interviews, paper-and-pencil self-administered interviews, and audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI). The analysis focuses on the reporting of sexual behavior by adolescent girls in the face-to-face and ACASI modes and compares responses to a variety of questions about sexual activity, including sexual initiation, risky sexual behavior, and coerced sex. All sexual behavior questions were asked of each adolescent girl even if she answered “no” to the initial question about …

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Reproductive Health Services In Kwazulu Natal, South Africa: A Situation Analysis Study Focusing On Hiv/Aids Services, Lewis Ndhlovu, Catherine Searle, Robert A. Miller, Andrew A. Fisher, Ester Snyman, Nancy L. Sloan Jan 2003

Reproductive Health Services In Kwazulu Natal, South Africa: A Situation Analysis Study Focusing On Hiv/Aids Services, Lewis Ndhlovu, Catherine Searle, Robert A. Miller, Andrew A. Fisher, Ester Snyman, Nancy L. Sloan

HIV and AIDS

This Horizons report examines the readiness of reproductive health services in South Africa, which are primarily geared to women, to deliver HIV and AIDS treatment, care, and prevention services. The goal of the study was to obtain information from a representative sample of provincial health care facilities offering reproductive health services in KwaZulu Natal to meet the growing demand for HIV/AIDS-related services. Ninety-eight hospitals, community health centers, and clinics participated in the situation analysis that identified gaps in service delivery and determined priorities for service integration. Results of the study were presented to a large audience of Department of Health, …

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Empowering Communities To Respond To Hiv/Aids: Ndola Demonstration Project On Maternal And Child Health: Operations Research Final Report, Hope Humana, Linkages, National Food And Nutrition Commission, Ndola District Health Management Team, Horizons Program, Zambia Integrated Health Project Jan 2003

Empowering Communities To Respond To Hiv/Aids: Ndola Demonstration Project On Maternal And Child Health: Operations Research Final Report, Hope Humana, Linkages, National Food And Nutrition Commission, Ndola District Health Management Team, Horizons Program, Zambia Integrated Health Project

HIV and AIDS

A pre–post intervention study conducted in Zambia by Horizons and local NGOs and governmental organizations demonstrated that HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) and infant feeding counseling (IFC) to mothers attending maternal and child health (MCH) clinics are vital components of any mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) reduction strategy, whether or not antiretrovirals (ARVs) are available. These interventions enable mothers to make informed and healthy decisions. Data from the Ndola Demonstration Project yielded encouraging results from efforts to improve the capacity of mothers to make informed decisions about their own health and the health of their infant. The interventions succeeded in raising …

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Testing A Model For The Delivery Of Emergency Obstetric Care And Family Planning Services In The Bolivian Public Health System, Deborah L. Billings, Eliana Del Pozo, Hugo Arevalo Jan 2003

Testing A Model For The Delivery Of Emergency Obstetric Care And Family Planning Services In The Bolivian Public Health System, Deborah L. Billings, Eliana Del Pozo, Hugo Arevalo

Reproductive Health

Unsafe abortion is a serious public health problem in Bolivia, accounting for up to 25 percent of maternal mortality. Postabortion care (PAC) was recognized as a priority public health action in Bolivia in 1994 and the operations research project summarized in this report was undertaken at the request of the Ministry of Health to help guide the improvement of PAC services in the country’s revised health plan. Improvements were made in the following areas: informing women of their health status after the uterine evacuation procedure; elements of the procedure itself (instrument to be used, pain control, possible risks); and informing …

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An Assessment Of Trends In The Use Of The Iud In Ghana, John Gyapong, Gifty Addico, Ivy Osei, Mercy Abbey, Dominic Atweam Kobinah, Henrietta Odoi-Agyarko, Gloria Quansah Asare, Harriet Birungi, Ian Askew Jan 2003

An Assessment Of Trends In The Use Of The Iud In Ghana, John Gyapong, Gifty Addico, Ivy Osei, Mercy Abbey, Dominic Atweam Kobinah, Henrietta Odoi-Agyarko, Gloria Quansah Asare, Harriet Birungi, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

Use of the IUD in relation to other contraceptive methods is reported to have either stagnated or declined in a number of countries including Ghana. The overall aim of this study was to inform the Ghana Health Service, USAID, and other partners on future directions for contraceptive promotion and supply. The stagnating demand for the IUD as a family planning method can be attributed to several factors, including perceptions and rumors about the method. The study recommends: intensified marketing of the IUD through the Ghana Life Choices Program; IUD-focused training and creation of a critical mass of trained IUD providers; …

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Availability And Acceptability Of Iuds In Guatemala, Carlos Brambila, Berta Taracena Jan 2003

Availability And Acceptability Of Iuds In Guatemala, Carlos Brambila, Berta Taracena

Reproductive Health

The purpose of this study was to identify the reasons for the low use of the IUD in Guatemala and to explore the reasons why other reversible methods are selected more frequently than IUDs. The study aimed to determine the availability and acceptability of IUDs as a contraceptive option within the Ministry of Health, the Guatemalan Social Security Institute, and APROFAM. Results indicated that service providers do not take into consideration women’s reproductive needs or intentions when they provide family planning counseling. There are several demand-side factors that affect the use of the IUD, including lack of knowledge about the …

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Postabortion Family Planning Operations Research Study In Perm, Russia, Irina Savelieva, John M. Pile, Inna Sacci, Ratha Loganathan Jan 2003

Postabortion Family Planning Operations Research Study In Perm, Russia, Irina Savelieva, John M. Pile, Inna Sacci, Ratha Loganathan

Reproductive Health

EngenderHealth, the Population Council’s FRONTIERS program, and the Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, with support from the Perm Health Departments, undertook an operations research study to test models for increasing contraceptive use and reducing the repeat abortion rate among abortion clients in Perm, Russia. The study also assessed the direct and indirect costs of abortion and contraceptive use incurred by women in the year following their index abortion (the abortion which took place the day of entry into the study). The findings of the study were significant for the training interventions …

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Taking Postabortion Care Services Where They Are Needed: An Operations Research Project Testing Pac Expansion In Rural Senegal, Engenderhealth Jan 2003

Taking Postabortion Care Services Where They Are Needed: An Operations Research Project Testing Pac Expansion In Rural Senegal, Engenderhealth

Reproductive Health

EngenderHealth, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, conducted an operations research project to examine the feasibility of introducing an integrated three-element model of postabortion care (PAC) services in secondary- and primary-level sites in two predominantly rural regions in Senegal. The intervention provided health personnel with: 1) training to improve clinical competence, counseling, infection prevention, and general care; 2) technical assistance, materials, and support to aid in overcoming challenges; and 3) ongoing monitoring and supervision. The project findings attest to the benefits of expanding existing PAC programs in rural settings and suggest that the advantages of such an expansion outweigh …

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Replication Of The Tostan Programme In Burkina Faso: How 23 Villages Participated In A Human Rights-Based Education Programme And Abandoned The Practice Of Female Genital Cutting In Burkina Faso, Nafissatou J. Diop, Edmond Bagde, Djingri Ouoba, Molly Melching Jan 2003

Replication Of The Tostan Programme In Burkina Faso: How 23 Villages Participated In A Human Rights-Based Education Programme And Abandoned The Practice Of Female Genital Cutting In Burkina Faso, Nafissatou J. Diop, Edmond Bagde, Djingri Ouoba, Molly Melching

Reproductive Health

This document is a summary of the process followed in implementing a community-based education program in Burkina Faso. The Population Council initiated a collaboration between two NGOs, Tostan in Senegal and Mwangaza Action in Burkina Faso, to replicate the program for improving women’s reproductive health and contributing to the end of female genital cutting (FGC). In Burkina Faso, the participants (men and women) held discussions to analyze the problems faced by their communities and to find appropriate solutions. Many positive changes occurred in the participating villages: the communities now promote reproductive health and human rights and work to improve public …

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Female Circumcision In Indonesia. Extent, Implications And Possible Interventions To Uphold Women's Health Rights, Meiwita P. Budiharsana, Lila Amaliah, Budi Utomo Jan 2003

Female Circumcision In Indonesia. Extent, Implications And Possible Interventions To Uphold Women's Health Rights, Meiwita P. Budiharsana, Lila Amaliah, Budi Utomo

Reproductive Health

In Indonesia, the practice of female circumcision (FC) has long existed, but information concerning where and how it is carried out has been limited. The specific aims of the study conducted by the Population Council Jakarta were to provide research-based information on FC customary practices and their socio-cultural determinants, and if possible, to assess any long-term physical and psychological consequences. Study findings indicate that in general Muslim communities support the continuation of FC practice, because they perceive it as both a societal custom and a religious duty. The report strongly recommends that key donor agencies pressure the Ministry of Health …

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Condom Use And Abstinence Among Unmarried Young People In Zimbabwe: Which Strategy, Whose Agenda?, Ravai Marindo, Steve Pearson, John B. Casterline Jan 2003

Condom Use And Abstinence Among Unmarried Young People In Zimbabwe: Which Strategy, Whose Agenda?, Ravai Marindo, Steve Pearson, John B. Casterline

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper compares the views about abstinence and condom use expressed by young people in Zimbabwe in focus-group discussions with the views underlying national policies and religious and traditional beliefs. Young people’s decisions to adopt one or the other of these risk-reduction strategies may not necessarily indicate genuine individual choices, but rather their deference to adults’ interests as they understand those interests. Policymakers and traditional and Christian leaders promote abstinence as the exclusive strategy for all young people, whereas nongovernmental organizations and the private sector promote condom use. Evidence from the focus-group discussions indicates that adolescents are aware of this …

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Microfinance And Households Coping With Hiv/Aids In Zimbabwe: An Exploratory Study, Carolyn Barnes, Erica Keogh, Nontokozo Nemarundwe, Loveness Nyikahadzoi, Ellen Weiss Jan 2003

Microfinance And Households Coping With Hiv/Aids In Zimbabwe: An Exploratory Study, Carolyn Barnes, Erica Keogh, Nontokozo Nemarundwe, Loveness Nyikahadzoi, Ellen Weiss

HIV and AIDS

This study, conducted in Zimbabwe, sought to better understand the relationship between a microfinance program, Zambuko Trust, and how microentrepreneurs’ households cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS. The study examined how HIV/AIDS is affecting Zambuko’s operations and what microfinance institutions (MFIs) can do to lessen the impact of HIV/AIDS on their clients and operations. The findings indicate several small yet important ways that MFI programs help microentrepreneurs and their families respond to these impacts through access to credit and business management training. Participation in a microfinance program led to income smoothing and better financial management, which can help households mitigate …

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