Measurement that Matters: Understanding Quality of Care from Clients’ Perspectives

By Leah Jarvis, Katey Peck, Sara Chace Dwyer, Erika Martin & Aparna Jain. This blog was originally published on the Knowledge SUCCESS website. High quality of care (QoC) in contraceptive provision is associated with greater contraceptive uptake, higher continuation of use, and improved client satisfaction. Over several decades, various frameworks and indicators to measure QoC [more…]
Coronavirus: The Ethical Conundrums We Face

The controversies that COVID-19 has highlighted for us Three controversial items are addressed in this essay: social distancing interventions manifested through lockdowns, the challenge of providing access to intensive care units (ICUs) and ventilators, and finally the ethical issues related to the COVID-19 vaccine—especially how those in low resource settings can access vaccines. The priority [more…]
Simple Tools to Reduce Preventable Deaths During Childbirth

By Maddie Kau and Sara Flanagan This blog was originally published on the ideas42 website. Worldwide, what is more likely to kill you than 200 skydives, 1,000 scuba dives, or a diagnosed case of malaria?[1] Giving birth once.[2] Too often, giving birth is dangerous, and the most common cause of maternal mortality—postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), or [more…]
Maximizing the Impact of Scarce COVID-19 Testing Resources

By Dr. Alison Connor, Dr. Heather Lanthorn, Nisha Hariharan, & Sarah Carson A more detailed version of this blog was originally published in IDeas, the IDinsight blog. Testing capacity has expanded dramatically in many countries since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, a number of countries have implemented highly innovative strategies: Rwanda has a [more…]
The Critical Role of Nurses and Midwives In and Beyond a Pandemic: Reflecting on 2020 with Ann Phoya, PhD, RNM

In honor of the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, the World Health Organization designated 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. The objective of this cause, which is aimed at recognising and celebrating 59% of the world’s health professionals, took on a new dimension as the COVID-19 pandemic has taken [more…]
Zoomshops Don’t Have to be Boring!

This is the second blog in Beth Gragg’s “Switching to Zoom? Tips for maximizing interaction in your Zoom(work)shops” blog series. Read the first blog in the series: Preparing to Zoomshop! You know how easily distracted we are by emails, news feeds, Twitter, cat videos, or the report that sits unwritten on our desktops. The same [more…]
Two Pakistani Youth are Speaking Out on the Importance of Inclusivity in Sexual and Reproductive Health

This FP2020 blog was originally posted on the Medium website. Family planning advocates in Pakistan, an FP2020 commitment maker since 2012, have worked hard to make sure the country’s FP programs address the needs of a variety of users. Saro Imran and Tanzila Khan, two young people changing the SRH movement in their country, are [more…]
Youth Leadership in Africa – Has Never Been and Will Never Be About Age!

Youth leadership in Africa has never been and will never be about age, but rather, capabilities and revolutionary thinking. When I landed my first management role at 28 years in Africa’s largest indigenous health non-governmental organization (Amref Health Africa), I never really thought about my age. Until it was pointed out, I had traversed different [more…]
Preparing to “Zoomshop”

It seems that face-to-face workshops are a thing of the past, at least for the foreseeable future. While I miss the dynamics of working “live” and in real time with groups of people, I am committed to helping people easily participate when they are in virtual workshops. Over the past few months, I’ve learned a [more…]
Guaranteeing a Healthy Future Generation: Integrating Adolescent & Youth Friendly Services at the Primary Health Care Level

Adolescents in Nigeria are caught between traditional culture and changing social norms brought about by urbanization, globalized economies, and an influential media-saturated environment. With evolving attitudes, including less restrictive sexual norms without comprehensive sexual education, there have been increased rates of unprotected sex, unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV/AIDS. These increased rates [more…]