Session 3: Problem analysis.

• Author: Nyamweya, Pauline
• Position: ADVOCACY TRAINING MANUAL: SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS

Objectives

By the end of this session, the participants will be able to:

* Analyze the reproductive health policy environment

* Identify current SRHR issues and problems.

* Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative data and different data collection techniques;

Time

120 minutes

Materials

* Participant Handout B.4

* flipchart paper

* markers

* masking tape

Advance Preparation

* Review Participant Handout B.4

* Collect information about the country's commitment to the ICPD Programme of Action.

* For Activity A, draw the Qualitative and Quantitative columns on a flipchart as shown below.

* Write the question in Activity B on separate flipcharts and post around the room.

* For Activity C, identify suitable volunteers for the role-play--Interviewer, Government Official, Religious Leader, and International Donor.

* For Activity D, write each of the identified SRHR problems/issues on separate flipcharts.

Key Ideas to Convey

* The participants must understand and accurately represent the needs, priorities, and interests of their constituencies if they are to be effective advocates for SRHR issues. This means discovering what people think about various SRHR issues, how they are personally affected by the policies that govern the provision of these services, and what they view as priorities.

* The more information and data a network possesses, the more convincing its policy demands will be. Furthermore, data-based advocacy messages will enhance the network's credibility in the eyes of decision makers and other influential persons.

* When planning a data collection activity, the network should consider the following:

--What are the network's information needs?

--What are the information needs of the relevant policymakers?

--What are the time and costs involved in data collection?

--What human resources and skills are needed to design the methodology and collect, analyze, and present the data?

Selection of the actual data collection technique(s) depends on the answers to the above questions.

* Data collection can involve qualitative or quantitative techniques or a combination of both. There are advantages and disadvantages to the various data collection methods, and each method produces different results.

* To advance an advocacy agenda, the participants must understand how SRHR policy decisions are made as well as the political climate in which they take place. Before proposing alternatives, the participants need to know how to analyze existing...