Document Library
Community participation is often described as a key for primary health care in low-income countries. Recent performance-based financing (PBF) initiatives have renewed the interest in this strategy by questioning the accountability of those in charge at the health centre (HC) level. This research analyses the place of two downward accountability mechanisms in a PBF scheme:… Read more
Evidence and comments suggest that CLTS has been successful in some cases in Africa, however it is difficult to find strong data to support this. Claims to have achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF) status have often been exaggerated and estimates of numbers of ODF communities inflated. Verification systems need to be improved. Another problem is… Read more
Recently, I visited Ghana as part of the Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa Consortium which is focused on zoonoses, animal diseases which can be passed on to humans. During the trip, other partners in the Consortium and I conducted some planning and fieldwork, including participatory mapping, the work being led by the Ghana team…. Read more
In the first of our new HEART Talks series Dr. Sommers gives an insight into youth and education in fragile states. He addresses the following themes: sexual violence increasing urban migration education systems masculinity Dr. Sommers is an internationally recognised youth expert and an award-winning author. An anthropologist, Africanist, educationalist and evaluator, he has carried… Read more
Ethiopia offers a case study in the development of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in low-resource settings, which needs to be understood in the context of recent government priorities to universalise primary education, and low levels of ECCE offered mainly by private and faith-based providers. In 2010, the Ethiopian government designed a national framework… Read more
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) has launched a Post-Primary Education Initiative intended to promote policy and relevant research on secondary and post-secondary education in developing countries, which together will be referred to as post-primary education. A new paper titled, ‘Expanding Access and Increasing Student Learning in Post–Primary Education in Developing Countries: A… Read more
The Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa Consortium is focused on animal diseases which can be passed on to humans, known as zoonoses, in Africa. These are an important issue for poverty and public health because many emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic and they have a big impact poor people’s lives and livelihoods. As this… Read more
In January 2013 Dr Paul Amuna from the University of Greenwich, delivered a fantastic Sussex Development Lecture on scaling up nutrition and building capacity in the health workforce. He argued that before even considering up-skilling the health workers, a broad understanding of the context and culture of the country and region in question is required…. Read more
There are a number of community accountability mechanisms in health interventions. These range from community health committees which aim to represent the community in planning, monitoring and evaluating health services to those in which community members are actively involved in the delivery of health services as volunteers or community health workers. Other models of community… Read more
This paper provides an overview of key reforms and organisational development initiatives currently underway within the South African public health sector at the national level. South Africa has made significant progress establishing certain aspects. For example: progressive public health legislation and policies, a unified national health system, increased infrastructure at primary care level, removed user… Read more
A better understanding of the relationship between HIV and human mobility in southern Africa is essential for the development of appropriate measures for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support to reduce HIV vulnerability among host communities as well as migrant communities. The aim of this document was to identify, assess and document emerging best practices… Read more