2As maternal health specialists accelerate efforts toward MDG5a, attention is focusing on how to best improve service accountability to target communities as a strategy for more effective policy implementation. We present a case study of efforts to improve accountability in Orissa, India, focusing on the role of local women, intermediary groups, health providers, and elected politicians. We highlight three drivers of success: 1) the generation of demand for rights and better services, 2) the leverage of intermediaries to legitimise the demands of poor and marginalised women, and 3) the sensitisation of leaders and health providers to women's needs. We use the concepts of critical consciousness, social capital, and 'receptive social spaces' to outline a social-psychological account of the pathways between accountability and service effectiveness.

No abstract

The Population Council confronts critical health and development issues-from stopping the spread of HIV to improving reproductive health and ensuring that young people lead full and productive lives. Through biomedical, social science, and public health research in 50 countries, we work with our partners to deliver solutions that lead to more effective policies, programs, and technologies that improve lives around the world. Established in 1952 and headquartered in New York, the Council is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization governed by an international board of trustees. Suggested Citation: Jejeebhoy, S.J., Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey et al. 2017. The effect of a gender transformative life skills education and sports-coaching programme on the attitudes and practices of adolescent boys and young men in Bihar.The study has been funded by UK aid from the UK Government; however the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK Government's official policies.The Centre for Development and Population Activities, India is now the Centre for Catalyzing Change (C3). Over two decades of sustained work to empower and mobilize young people, men and women commemorates the journey of the organisation, that began as one of the first organizations working with life skills education for adolescents through it comprehensive programs. We are a non-governmental organization with the mission to empower women in all sectors of development and to that end we work with young people, including in and out of school adolescent boys and girls in rural and urban India. Our technical expertise extends to incubating, implementing and scaling up programs focused on its thematic areas of youth education, gender and maternal health/reproductive rights, specialising in at-scale programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Till date, we have reached more than one million girls and boys in India and equipped them with practical life skills, improved confidence in personal decision-making and increased self-esteem. In the past couple of years we have been using digital technology to build young people's capacities on health, life skills and gender equity issues.Our mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.

Birthing women require support, particularly emotional support, during the process of labour and delivery. Traditionally, across cultures, this support was made available by the continuous presence of a companion during labour, childbirth and the immediate post-partum period. However, this practice is not universal, especially in health facilities in low- and middle-income countries. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 18 tertiary health care facilities of India using a mixed-method approach. The quantitative data were collected to document the number of birthing women, birth companions and healthcare providers in the labour rooms, and the typology of disrespect and abuse (D&A) faced by women. This was followed by in-depth interviews with 55 providers to understand their perspective on the various dimensions of D&A and the challenges they face to provide respectful care. This article explores the status of birth companionship in India and its plausible associations with D&A faced by birthing women in public facilities. Our study reveals that birth companionship is still not a common practice in Indian public hospitals. Birth companions were present during less than half of the observational period, also less than half of the birthing women were accompanied by a birth companion. Lack of hospital policy, space constraints, overcrowding and privacy concerns for other patients were cited as reasons for not allowing birth companions in the labour rooms, whose supportive roles, both for women and providers, were otherwise widely acknowledged during the qualitative interviews. Also, the presence of birth companions was found to be critically negatively associated with occurrences of D&A of birthing women. We contend that owing to the high pressure on the public hospitals in India, birth companions can be a low-cost intervention model for promoting respectful maternity care. However, adequate infrastructure is a critical aspect to be taken care of.

No abstract

No abstract

Historically, global efforts to accelerate progress toward achieving health and well-being for women and children have appeared separate, despite the inextricable links among maternal, perinatal, and newborn health outcomes.n Accelerating progress demands that the maternal and newborn health (MNH) community more rapidly and effectively share learning, new evidence, and program experiences. nA new global initiative, AlignMNH, will establish a country-driven, multidirectional knowledge hub and series of convenings to promote purposeful knowledge sharing and problem solving and align on priorities for action. These efforts are intended to facilitate increased application of evidence and regular review of progress ultimately contributing to improved MNH and prevention of stillbirths.

Background Despite the substantial need for sexuality education and evidence on its effectiveness, implementing organisations continue to grapple with numerous challenges, especially related to community support and resistance. This article aims to analyse the experience of Udaan, a programme that has achieved remarkable success in Jharkhand, India, to answer the following questions: (1) What strategies did Udaan use to create a supportive environment? and (2) What processes did Udaan use to respond to resistance during its implementation? Methods We reviewed programme documents and publications, synthesized key themes, identified questions of interest, and conducted interviews with key informants from the Centre for Catalyzing Change’s leadership. Results Community support for Udaan was built by ensuring that the curriculum was responsive to the context, capitalizing on an enabling policy environment, institutionalizing Udaan through government-led implementation, prioritizing careful selection and training of teachers, emphasizing monitoring and evaluation, and engaging with community gatekeepers. Udaan effectively responded to resistance by organizing a formal curriculum review, orienting editors of local newspapers on the programme; responding to questions and concerns; and proactively creating positive visibility. Conclusion The lessons from Udaan provide insight into approaches that can be used to design and sustain sexuality education programmes in complex settings.