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
Team Members

Bright Wireko Brobby

Mercy Kwafoa

Abigail Nketiah

James Owusu-Akyaw
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
Staff Capacity Transformation Workshop
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
Staff protecting their values and trying to
influence others in vain
“you can not convince me
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.
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.
Mercy explaining the concept to
facilitate the selection of communities
•Easy accessibility
Selected Communities
•Abenase
•Adumasa
•Nkyerepoaso
Group picture of District stakeholders
•Tikrom
Initial Meetings
Communities stakeholders’ meetings
Majority of the
community
stakeholders
who
Adumasa
Tikrom
participated in
the initial
meeting were
males.
Abenase
Nkyerepoaso
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.
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
Ideal Woman – Community thinking
Ideal Man – Community thinking

God-fearing

Democratic/Not Autocratic / Brave

Faithful /truthful / Humble

Good planner/Responsible/Resourceful

Helpful /Loving / Obedient / Respectful

Wealthy / Knowledgeable

Hardworking

Good Adviser

Good home manager / good cook

Provider of basic needs of family

Tolerant / Hospitable

Trustworthy/hardworking

Resourceful / gainfully employed

Control the affairs of the family
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.
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
Staff capacity building in the use of
SAA Approach
Some identified social, cultural and economic factors
influencing sexual and reproductive health of school children

Lack of Parental care – neglect/

inability to provide basic needs for
children.
Neglect of some good cultural
practices

Children giving birth and large

Poor child care support from fathers.
family sizes.

Negative parental influence.

Poverty

Wake-keeping during funerals with

Divorce
the involvement of children.

Proliferation of video centers in
the communities
Staff capacity building in the use of
SAA Approach
Key emerging factors indicated by
all four (4) communities

Poor parental care

Poor time management (children)

poverty
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
Development of communities’ Plans of Action to
challenge factors
Merged Action Plan for All Four (4) Communities
TARGET
ACTIVITY
RESOURCES NEEDED
Increasing the
knowledge and skills of
parents in Good
parental care
Family Planning and
Resource management
Workshop
to train for
seven (7) persons each
from all four (4)
communities in
-Good parental care
-Family Planning
-Resource management
Workshop
Durbar/forum in all the
four (4) communities
Resource/technical
Nkyerepoaso:
persons
Planning committee
Public address system
Video camera record
Venue
Abenase:
Set
up a library or a
venue for evening
studies/classes/leisure
Training of community
facilitators for the
library/facility
Venue
Desktop
Role
Resource
Psycho-social
Venue
Improving the use of
children’s leisure time
and intensifying life
skills education for
children
model day
life skills
education with emphasis
on SRH
materials
(handouts)
Stationery
Venue
Accommodation
Resource persons
Meals
T&T where necessary
computer
educational
materials including SRH
materials
books/
TIMEFRAME
Attendance
April
15 – 17, 2009
April 30
April 22
Tikrom: April 23
Adumasa: April 28
games and
puzzles
Gas lamps
persons
First week in May, 2009
(SRH)
materials
Planning committee
list
report
Number of trained
community
representatives
Workshop
Video
coverage
Photographs
Reports
Programme outline
Records
After community durbar
Indoor
Education
MONITORING
INDICATORS
from register
furnished
library/venue for
studies and leisure
Number of trained
community facilitators
Progress reports
A
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.
Challenges
Lessons Learnt
 Adopting a participatory

approach helps community
members to understand issues,
High illiteracy rate especially
females

Short span of concentration on
and take ownership of the
the part of community
process.
participants.
 Communities have the most
realistic and workable solutions
to their problems
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.
Me d’ase