Toolkits
Sexual & Reproductive Health Care In Emergencies Toolkit (SRH)
Overview
The Learning Briefs in this toolkit focus on specific SRH topics, providing real-world examples and insights. These briefs are crafted from literature, case studies, interviews, and experiences across various countries. Tailored for decision-makers, they serve as a starting point to improve SRH access during emergencies.
The Learning Briefs are sequenced in order of the Stages of SRH Preparedness: Initiating, Assessing, and Implementing.
Inclusion
This brief enhances Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) preparedness with collaborative strategies, meaningful involvement, and advocacy for inclusive policies during emergencies.
Key Takeaways
- Community Collaboration: Collaborate openly with community-based organizations. Identify and create relationships with key women-led, youth-led, and other community-based groups at national and subnational levels to pinpoint specific SRH needs for vulnerable populations.
- Meaningful Involvement: Apply the “do no harm” principles to move beyond tokenistic inclusion. Use tailored strategies to ensure informed decisions, meaningful involvement, and representation of marginalized and underserved groups in all SRH preparedness activities.
- First Responder Training: Equip first responders with stigma-free attitudes and provide information on human rights, emphasizing the rights of women, girls, people with disabilities, and those with diverse SOGIESC. This will help them deliver stigma-free and rights-based services during emergencies.
- Advocacy for Inclusive Policies: Advocate for inclusive emergency preparedness policies and ensure effective implementation, supervision, and monitoring at national and subnational levels.
- Visibility in Policies: Policy documents should explicitly mention marginalized and underserved groups, such as women with disabilities, adolescents, and people of diverse SOGIESC, to guarantee inclusivity and visibility.
Policy Integration
Integrating Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) into national policies is crucial for emergency responses. This brief provides insights on leveraging global commitments to enhance emergency SRH policies.
Key Takeaways
- Referencing Global Commitments: Use global frameworks like Sendai, Health-EDRM, Sphere, and Sustainable Development Goals to advocate for integrating SRH and MISP in national policies, strengthening the case for comprehensive emergency responses.
- Contextual Analysis: Know the laws for disaster response. Identify restrictive policies for specific groups such as adolescents and refugees. Develop targeted interventions to integrate sexual & reproductive health provisions.
- Leveraging Existing Policies: Implement MISP policies at all levels and allocate resources strategically to integrate SRH and MISP policies for timely response during emergencies.
Curriculum Integration
This Brief empowers healthcare professionals to integrate the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) into educational programs by pinpointing relevant curricula, forging impactful relationships, and strategic advocacy.
Key Takeaways
- Build Strategic Relationships: Build relationships with relevant government ministries and training institutions overseeing healthcare capacity building. Sensitize them to the importance of MISP and secure their endorsement for effective integration.
- Target Relevant Curricula: Assess local contexts and identify the most pertinent curricula for revision, such as those in midwifery, nursing, or medicine. Tailor the integration strategy to align with specific healthcare disciplines.
- Leverage Curriculum Revision Opportunities: Stay informed about curriculum revision schedules. Seize the ideal timing of revisions to advocate for and seamlessly integrate the MISP into educational programs.
- Explore Alternative Integration Methods: Assess the national context and consider alternative approaches if formal curriculum integration proves challenging or impractical. Ensure flexibility in adapting the MISP to fit the educational landscape.
- Accredited Training for In-Service Professionals: Promote formal recognition and accessibility of MISP training programs for in-service health professionals through accreditation and acknowledgment in the healthcare sector.
Supply Chain Preparedness for SRH Commodities
Ensuring a resilient supply chain for Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) commodities is critical, especially during disasters. Advocacy and planning are crucial to swiftly securing SRH products. This involves developing backup plans to adapt to changing demands and disruptions.
Key Takeaways
- Comprehensive Community Assessment: Conduct a comprehensive assessment of current community capacity and SRH needs, prioritizing marginalized populations such as women, girls, adolescents, sex workers, people with disabilities, and those with diverse SOGIESC. Refer to the inclusion note for guidance.
- Policy Commitments for Community Action Plans: Foster national and subnational policies to support action plans that empower communities to address SRH and gender challenges effectively.
- Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement: Involve policymakers, health workers, and civil society with health backgrounds in MISP training sessions to encourage effective collaboration.
- Sustainable Funding for Implementation: Secure sustainable funding to implement, monitor, and evaluate community action plans and generate new evidence on the effectiveness of SRH and gender preparedness at the community level for ongoing support of resilience initiatives.
Community Preparedness
This brief outlines strategies for improving community resilience in SRH and gender, including comprehensive assessments, stakeholder engagement, sustained policy commitments, and funding for effective implementation.
Key Takeaways
- Comprehensive Community Assessment: Conduct a comprehensive assessment of current community capacity and SRH needs, prioritizing marginalized populations such as women, girls, adolescents, sex workers, people with disabilities, and those with diverse SOGIESC. Refer to the inclusion note for guidance.
- Policy Commitments for Community Action Plans: Foster national and subnational policies to support action plans that empower communities to address SRH and gender challenges effectively.
- Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement: Involve policymakers, health workers, and civil society with health backgrounds in MISP training sessions to encourage effective collaboration.
- Sustainable Funding for Implementation: Secure sustainable funding to implement, monitor, and evaluate community action plans and generate new evidence on the effectiveness of SRH and gender preparedness at the community level for ongoing support of resilience initiatives.
Coordination
This brief equips you with strategies to build a shared knowledge base, establish multi-sectoral partnerships, develop actionable plans, and advocate for sustainable coordination mechanisms.
Key Takeaways
- Build a Knowledge Base: Ensure key stakeholders share a common understanding of SRH in emergencies and internationally recognized standards. Utilize MISP training and orientations to elevate awareness and foster a robust knowledge base.
- Build Multi-Sectoral Partnerships: Foster a multi-sectoral approach by engaging partners from health, disaster management, and technical fields. Involve community-based organizations representing diverse groups.
- Develop Joint Action Plans: Identify gaps in SRH preparedness collectively, using tools like MISP readiness assessments. Formulate a joint action plan with clear accountability lines and monitoring processes within the SRH working group.
- Consider Coordination at All Levels: Adjust coordination mechanisms to fit the government structure. Form national, subnational, and community relationships to ensure comprehensive and effective coordination.
- Learn from Peers: Learn from countries with similar situations and share insights from implementing SRH preparedness activities in diverse contexts.
- Advocating for Sustainable Coordination: Institutionalize mechanisms to coordinate SRH for long-term sustainability. Create an enabling environment through supportive policies, budget allocations, and advocating for integrating SRH emergency preparedness coordination into broader frameworks.
