Publications
This helpdesk reports that defining famine has proved historically challenging. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) provides a common currency for classifying both the magnitude and severity of food insecurity through a set of standardised tools. Despite the standard definition that the IPC provides, there have been several incidents where mass nutrition related mortality… Read more
There is a growing movement advocating for an increased focus on resourcing the control and treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), ie The Lancet NCD Action Group and the NCD Alliance. The proponents of tackling NCDs often quote figures for NCD impact in LMICs without discussing disparities between socio-economic groups. The rapid search for this report… Read more
DFID committed 12 million GBP to uplift frontline health workers’ salaries in Sierra Leone from 2010 to 2015 to support the implementation of the Free Healthcare Initiative (FHCI), launched in April 2010, which made health services free for pregnant women, children under five years of age and nursing mothers. Increasing the availability of frontline health… Read more
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is the most widespread form of abuse worldwide, affecting one third of all women in their lifetime. VAWG undermines the mental and physical health of women and girls, violates their human rights and can have a negative impact on long-term peace and stability. In line with its international and national commitments,… Read more
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is the most widespread form of abuse worldwide, affecting one third of all women in their lifetime. VAWG undermines the mental and physical health of women and girls, violates their human rights and can have a negative impact on long-term peace and stability. In line with its international and national commitments,… Read more
The already weak health care delivery sector in Sierra Leone has been further overburdened with the Ebola outbreak. All efforts made towards strengthening the health system and working towards providing equitable access to healthcare for all has suffered a major setback. The Ebola outbreak has further highlighted the gaps in the health system namely lack… Read more
Increasingly, policies are being put in place by governments to identify and provide services to parents who are seen as needing additional support in fulfilling their parenting roles. Such policies can be justified on the basis of young children’s rights as well as the accumulating evidence that many problems of development, behaviour and mental health in… Read more
Review question This review evaluated the effects of centre-based day care for children younger than five years of age in low- and middle-income countries (as defined by the World Bank 2011). We considered the following outcomes: children’s cognitive and psychosocial development, prevalence and incidence of infectious diseases among them and the economic situation of parents…. Read more
Key Messages Evaluations that explore how interventions (programmes or projects) lead to transformational change in women and girls’ lives, enhancing their power, including control of resources, decision-making and agency, and not simply increased income, provide a more meaningful understanding of women and girls’ economic empowerment. Mixed methods evaluations lead to more useful findings as they… Read more
The Health and Education Advice and Resource Team (HEART) was contracted to undertake the first Annual Programme Review (APR) of the DFID-funded Ghana Malaria Prevention, Diagnosis and Data Programme. This review was undertaken between 24 July and 20 August 2014 by a team of two external consultants. The Review Terms of Reference (TOR) posed questions… Read more
The evidence reviewed for this paper suggests that: Many countries implement CBE programmes and they are very diverse; some have been initiated by the state and others by non state actors such as non government organisations. Some CBE programmes are time bound and some are on-going. A number of countries have more than one CBE… Read more