FORD FOUNDATION PROGRAM
Currently the unit is implementing a three year project titled Using Empirical Evidence to Scale up Policies and Programs for Reducing Youth Vulnerability to Adverse Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes in Nigeria.
In September 1, 2012 WHARC received a three year grant from Ford Foundation which will last until August 31, 2015. The goal of this project is to promote the attainment of scale and impact for adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Nigeria through improved use of data and research evidence by policymakers.
The specific objectives of the project are as follows:
To develop and implement a communication strategy aimed at reaching critical stakeholders and policymakers at national and sub-national levels with evidence-based information needed to scale up the implementation of policies and programs that address adolescent reproductive health;
To conduct content review of findings on adolescent reproductive health in Nigeria in major scientific publications (including the African Journal of Reproductive Health) and identify areas for immediate policy and programmatic action;
To conduct a gender and age-disaggregated survey of key indicators of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and opinion poll of policy makers and youth on perceptions relating to residual policies and programs needed to address them;
Develop summaries and policy briefs in various media formats to address the policy relevance of the publications (1 & 2) and use them as advocacy and public education tools; and
Form a coalition of 14 youth-led and youth-focused NGOs (2 per state and the FCT) who would be trained to use the results of the summarized results for evidence-based advocacy to promote the uptake of evidence-based programming on adolescent sexual and reproductive health in the states.
Project Activities
Objective 1: To develop and implement a communication strategy aimed at reaching critical stakeholders and policymakers at national and sub-national levels with evidence-based information needed to scale up the implementation of policies and programs that address adolescent reproductive health
Objective 2: To conduct content review of findings on adolescent reproductive health in Nigeria in major scientific publications (including the African Journal of Reproductive Health) and identify areas for immediate policy and programmatic action
Objective 3: To conduct a gender and age-disaggregated survey of key indicators of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and opinion poll of policy makers and youth on perceptions on residual policies and programs for addressing them
Objective 4: Develop summaries and briefs in various media formats to address the policy relevance of the publications (1 & 2) and use them as advocacy and public education tools
Objective 5: Form a coalition of 14 youth-led and youth-friendly NGOs (2 per state and the FCT) who would be trained to use the results of the summarized results for evidence-based advocacy to promote the uptake of evidence-based programming on adolescent sexual and reproductive health in the states
The project would be monitored by measurable process and outcome indicators. WHARC has a Monitoring and Evaluation Unit that would develop a framework for monitoring this project and that would conduct and document quarterly reviews and assessment of all activities related to the project.