1. Thematic area: Reproductive Health 1 AFIDEP Board Meeting 3 rd – 5 th February 2014 Presented by Violet Murunga

2. Objectives Generate evidence & promote its use to: – Strengthen political will and commitment to RH – Guide resource allocation to RH – Guide RH policy formulation and programme design & implementation

3. Key focus areas Family planning Safe motherhood Child survival Sexual & reproductive health of young people Integration of SRH/HIV Other reproductive health issues e.g. unsafe abortion

4. List of ongoing projects Integration within the MNCH platform – Gates Foundation Sexual and reproductive health of young people - Norwegian Unsafe abortion in Zambia – ESRC-DFID Progress on MDGs 4, 5 & 6 at County and National levels to support Countdown to 2015 advocacy efforts in Kenya – USAID/Fanikisha

5. List of past projects Current status of SRHR and RHCS in the EAC region to guide regional strategy for the next 5 years – commissioned by EAC 5 country study of the drivers of progress in contraceptive use – UNFPA ARO & Packard Progress towards achieving MDG 5 in SSA – IPPF ARO SRH/HIV service utilization among HIV patients in selected High-Burden/High-Impact Countries in Africa – UNFPA-ARO

6. List of past projects Policy Makers’ Needs for Near-Term Evidence for Family Planning Training DSW teams in policy analysis to enhance evidence-based family planning advocacy Partnered with PAI to disseminate evidence in the Lancet special issue on FP in SSA Partnered with the Guttmacher Institute to disseminate evidence on unsafe abortion in Kenya 2 separate studies assessing the policy framework for linkages between HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health in Lesotho & in Kenya

7. Some products

9. Strengthening evidence for action and accountability on sexual and reproductive health and rights for young people in Eastern and Southern Africa

10. Background Importance of young people’s SRH for the achievement of a cross-range of MDGs is increasingly acknowledged Not prioritized at policy, resource allocation, and programme implementation levels in most countries in SSA Young people in this region exhibit relatively poor SRH outcomes Undermines development of quality human capital and prospects for sustainable socioeconomic development

11. Rationale Lack of progress is partly due to limited in-depth analysis of available data & lack of evidence on: 1.the socioeconomic benefits of investing in adolescents and youth SRH 2.costs-effective interventions Robust analyses are fragmented in multiple scientific publications Weak technical capacity to synthesize, translate, package and use evidence

12. Primary Outcome: Increased political commitment and resource allocation, and improved SRH intervention programmes for young people in Kenya & Malawi & East/Southern Africa Secondary Outcome: Increased access & utilization of SRH information and services among young people in Kenya & Malawi & East/Southern Africa Impact: Improved SRH outcomes for young people in Kenya & Malawi & in the wider East and Southern Africa regions Purpose

13. Objectives 1.Increase the range of policy-oriented research evidence that demonstrate the value for prioritizing young people’s SRH issues and guide design and implementation of effective programmes 2.Strengthen the commitment of decision-makers, leaders, and other stakeholders in prioritizing young people’s SRH issues 3.Strengthen the capacity of researchers, programme managers and policy-makers in translation, communication, and use of research evidence in decision-making processes

14. Methodology/Approaches Knowledge Generation – Analyses of national data sets (DHS, UN & other relevant population statistics) – Review and synthesis of published research evidence & systematic reviews – In-depth assessment of policies, policy-making processes, and intervention programmes in Kenya and Malawi

15. Methodology/Approaches Knowledge use – Policy engagement through one-on-one mtgs & national and regional policy making platforms – Media & social media engagement Capacity Building – Training workshops & mentorship to improve capacity to synthesize, translate, communicate and apply the evidence

16. Key implementing staff ResponsibilityStaff Project oversightEliya Zulu Project Manager & Technical Lead Violet Murunga Other Project Staff Rose Oronje Lead communication and advocacy activities and support policy engagement and policy & programme audits Nissily Mushani (Malawi) Policy engagement, support literature reviews & policy & programme audits Eunice Mutheu Support data analysis, literature reviews and policy & programme audits Martin Atela Lead quantitative data analysis

17. Next steps in 2014 and beyond Consultations with policy makers & stakeholders at national & regional (Kenya & Malawi) Form Advisory Board Generate research evidence on SRH attitudes and behaviors of young people and vulnerable population sub-groups to be used for various policy engagement in years 1, 2 & 3

18. Thank you!!