Population Council Research that makes a difference

In 2005 the Ghana Health Service introduced a program for transferring and adapting evidence-based strategies from the Community-based Health Planning and Services Initiative (CHPS) to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

To ensure that lessons learned will have sustainable implications for health policies and programs, week-long exchanges convened in Navrongo involve integrated teams of senior policymakers, researchers, district-level health managers, and service providers from participating countries. This strategic approach is intended to garner widespread support for future collaboration and to ensure that proposed innovations can be readily integrated into national policy.

Country teams are invited to a comprehensive policy orientation at the Navrongo Health Research Centre, followed by an intensive field demonstration of community and district-level planning, service delivery, and management. Site visits focus on the demonstration of key programmatic elements, including phased introduction of services, mapping and enumeration, community entry, nurse and volunteer training, and strategic planning, with the aim of providing firsthand experience in implementation activities and problem-solving. Participants are oriented to practical aspects of mobilizing community engagement and support, building leadership, sustaining political commitment, supporting operations, and implementing pre- and in-service training. In addition, teams are introduced to program monitoring and evaluation systems and Navrongo research operations.