Publications

In 2015 the maternal mortality ratio for Ethiopia was 353 per 100,000 live births. Large numbers of women do not use maternal health services. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the use of maternal health services at the primary health care unit (PHCU) level in rural communities in Sidama zone, south Ethiopia in order to design quality improvement interventions.

Child marriage, teenage pregnancy and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) are manifestations of deeply rooted gender inequality and social norms, poverty and limited economic perspectives. The factors that hold both FGM/C and child marriage in place are the consolidation of family interests of maintaining honour, enhancing fidelity within marriage and preserving virginity before marriage, the social integration of the girl and family, and financial security in situations of poverty (Boyden et al 2012). Child marriage, teenage pregnancy and FGM/C are interrelated issues that involve high health risks and human rights violations of adolescent girls, and impede socio-economic development in a great number of low- and middle-income countries.

This report presents the findings of the YES I DO (YID) midline study, conducted in April 2018, in Group Village Head (GHV) Mangamba, Traditional Authority (TA) Liwonde, Machinga District in Malawi. The study aimed to provide insight into the (interrelated) causes and effects of child marriage and teenage pregnancy and the extent to which these causes and effects, and the three problems themselves, were present in TA Liwonde. The study also aimed to provide insight into why and how the YID intervention strategies do or do not contribute towards improved outcomes in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for young people, including prevention of child marriage and teenage pregnancy

The study was commissioned to the KIT Royal Tropical Institute in July 2017 by the Land Dialogue, with financial support from the Dutch Government. The objective is to provide insight and guidance into the relevance of land governance as a possible priority theme to be considered in the process of the International Responsible Business Conduct (IRBC) Agreements. The study was conducted in the period between July and November 2017 and included desk research, workshops and interviews with a diverse set of stakeholders in the IRBC process. The opinions expressed in the study are those of KIT and do not represent the views of the interviewees.

Close-to-community (CTC) providers have been identified as a key cadre to progress universal health coverage and address inequities in health service provision due to their embedded position within communities. CTC providers both work within, and are subject to, the gender norms at community level but may also have the potential to alter them. This paper synthesises current evidence on gender and CTC providers and the services
they deliver.

International business is confronted with significant risks and impacts related to human rights, labour rights, environment and climate change. These impact on local communities, economies, environment and land use in “host” countries, but also affect Dutch companies and consumers. In order to address these risks and initiated by the Dutch Government, the Dutch Social-Economic Council (SER) facilitates trajectories towards agreements on International Responsible Business Conduct (IRBC) in different high risk sectors.

Background: Cambodia has one of the highest tuberculosis (TB) prevalence rates in the world. People aged 55 years and over account for an estimated 50% of the country’s TB burden, yet this group has a low notification rate owing to specific barriers in accessing health services. One-off active case finding (ACF) days with mobile GeneXpert and X-ray systems were organized at 75 government health facilities in four operational districts. Symptomatic community members with an abnormal chest X-ray were tested using the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. People with TB were then treated at health facilities after screening services moved onto the next site.

The overall objective of this midline study was to gain insight into the factors influencing child marriage and teenage pregnancy in Petauke district, in the eastern province of Zambia. The study explored different pathways of change, thereby testing the YES I DO theory of change and unravelling why and how the YES I DO intervention strategies did or did not contribute towards improved outcomes, related to the five strategic goals of the programme. This study is a follow-up of the baseline study conducted in 2016.

Food systems have usually been conceptualized as a set of activities ranging from production through to consumption, often represented as a value chain. However, the increasing attention to food security has also expanded the understanding of food systems.

Innovation platforms are fast becoming part of the mantra of agricultural research for development projects and programmes. Their basic tenet is that stakeholders depend on one another to achieve agricultural development outcomes, and hence need a space where they can learn, negotiate and coordinate to overcome challenges and capture opportunities through a facilitated innovation process. Although much has been written on how to implement and facilitate innovation platforms efficiently, few
studies support ex-ante appraisal of when and for what purpose innovation platforms provide an appropriate mechanism for achieving development outcomes, and what kinds of human and financial resource investments and enabling environments are required. Without these insights, innovation platforms run the risk of being promoted as a panacea for all problems in the agricultural sector. This study makes clear that not all constraints will require innovation platforms and, if there is a simpler and cheaper alternative, that should be considered first. Based on the review of critical design principles and plausible outcomes of innovation platforms, this study provides a decision support tool for research, development
and funding agencies that can enhance more critical thinking about the purposes and conditions under which innovation platforms can contribute to achieving agricultural development outcomes.

The purpose of this project was to review progress of the Child Protection Fund that supports the National Plan of Action for Orphans and Vulnerable Children over the last 12 month, with a particular focus on the National Case Management System.

Child marriage and teenage pregnancy in Pakistan are a reflection of the patriarchal nature of Pakistani society characterized by deeply rooted gender inequalities, hierarchy, social norms, and poverty. Poor quality of education, limited economic opportunities and a lack of comprehensive information regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) limits young people to be empowered individuals and realize their SRHR.

System archetypes represent generic behavioural patterns – or system dynamics – in any system. The concept of archetypes is mostly applied in the context of business management and organizational life. But similar archetypes of system behaviour can be found in food systems.

The assignment was aimed at producing a mapping of targets and indicator measuring progress on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) within the framework of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Innovation Platforms are fast becoming part of the mantra of agricultural research for development projects and programmes. Their basic tenet is that stakeholders depend on one another to achieve agricultural development outcomes, and hence need a space where they can learn, negotiate, and coordinate to overcome challenges and capture opportunities through a facilitated innovation process. This important publication provides a critical analysis of Innovation Platforms, their defining features, key functions, and what they can and – as importantly – cannot do.

Purpose of this project was to review the completeness and quality of the proposal to support the assessment of the review by the Sida health advisor in Myanmar. As a follow up to an earlier mission.

The United Nations International Children’s Fund State of Palestine (UNICEF SoP) has contracted the KIT-Juzoor consortium to conduct an external evaluation of the Post Natal Home Visiting (PNHV) programme for postnatal mothers, neonates and their families implemented in Gaza in a humanitarian context. This final report describes the purpose of the evaluation, the methodology used, its limitations and key evaluation finding and pointers towards recommendations in relation to the PNHV programme in Gaza. The evaluation covers the period 2011 until the end of 2016. This evaluation was rated as highly satisfactory and as one of the best evaluations of 2018 by UNICEF global.

This paper presents findings from a study which sought to understand why health workers working under the results-based financing (RBF) arrangements in Zimbabwe reported being satisfied with the improvements in working conditions and compensation, but paradoxically reported lower motivation levels compared to those not working under RBF arrangements.

This project consists of:
– A brief account of the existing situation in SRHR in Ethiopia with regards to SRHR policy priorities for SIDA and work by UNFPA.
– Mapping of organisations/ key actors in SRHR, including IPPF´s affiliate Family Guidance Ethiopia, PSI, DKT, MSI, CORHA (network for SRHR organisations), IPAS, Packard Foundation the format of a matrix.
-Recommendation on possible themes/ actors for SIDA to work on/with.

This paper dives into past impact evaluations of nutrition sensitive agricultural programs to unpack the different approaches to how they analysed women’s empowerment. It focuses on evaluation objectives, evaluation design methodologies and choice of indicators. The paper applies a women’s empowerment lens to agricultural-nutrition pathways framework to understand how nutrition sensitive programs addressed women’s role and influence (or lack thereof) in relation to key decision making moments along the pathways. These include decisions on what is produced, what is sold and how income is used, and how these influence what is consumed in the household and by whom. The household, and intra household dynamics, are the level that the analysis of the impact evaluations specifically looks at.