JHPIEGO TrainerNews™ |
Francophone MAQ Subcommittee Builds
Synergies and Plans Next Steps
(April 2002)
In March 2002, a meeting of the Francophone Maximizing Access and Quality (MAQ) Subcommittee was linked to the Francophone Regional Postabortion Care (PAC) conference in Dakar, Senegal. Members of the Francophone MAQ Subcommittee who were country team delegates at the PAC conference were invited to attend a 1-day MAQ meeting on 8 March 2002, following the PAC conference.
The first half of the day was devoted to a joint meeting between the Francophone MAQ Subcommittee and PARTAGE, a network of nongovernmental organizations active in reproductive health programming in West Africa. This meeting built on synergies between the two West African groups. During the afternoon, Francophone MAQ Subcommittee members met to review progress to date on a Francophone MAQ guidelines study and to plan next steps for the Subcommittee. In 2001, four USAID cooperating agencies (Family Health International, Intrah/PRIME, JHPIEGO and the Population Council) conducted desk reviews that examined the integration of STI/HIV/AIDS services in the national guidelines (i.e., the Policies, Norms and Protocols) in four West African countries (Benin, Mali, Niger and Senegal).
In the coming months, members of the Francophone MAQ Subcommittee will conduct in-depth provider interviews at healthcare facilities. These interviews will examine providers' perceptions of the Protocols (e.g., Is a copy of the Protocols available at the facility? Are the Protocols easy or hard to use? Do providers use the Protocols in their daily work to provide STI/HIV/AIDS services? How do providers use the Protocols to provide these services?)
The Francophone MAQ Subcommittee will continue to seek ways to create links with related USAID meetings and activities that are planned in the West Africa region. For example, selected Francophone MAQ Subcommittee members will be sponsored to participate in the Dual Protection Meeting, which is being planned by the Family Health and AIDS Program for 27- 29 August 2002 in Yamoussokro, Cote d'Ivoire.
For more information about the Francophone MAQ Subcommittee, contact cdavis@jhpiego.org