Agency for All
Improving Health and Well-Being by Increasing Power to Act

Workshop in New Delhi Ignites Innovations in Maternity Care 

In January, Agency for All hosted a workshop in New Delhi to share research with local experts about how social norms shape respectful maternity care. “It was the first time Agency for All has held a global, public co-creation event with stakeholders,” said project director Rebecka Lundgren of the weeklong workshop, which ended with a convening of more than 100 people from local health facilities, USAID, the Ministry of Health, members of the South Asia Learning Collaborative and others working on respectful maternity care.
Workshop participants pored over data from observations, interviews and focus groups in a collaborative setting, sharing insights and spirited discussions that resulted in a nuanced, holistic theory of change and intervention package aimed at improving maternal care. A stirring poetry performance at week’s close served as a powerful reminder of our shared commitment to improving women’s rights and dignity. “This was a successful week,” said Tina Ravi, Centre for Catalyzing Change (C3). “It helped us design an intervention package informed by the research.”

This study comprehensively explores the underlying determinants of factors at the community and facility level that play a role in hindering or promoting person-centered, respectful maternity care. Stay tuned for a formative research report of our learnings.
What We've Been Up To
Agency for All Hosts Roundtable at 2024 EvalFest "Shifting Sands in Evaluation"
 
As part of the Evaluation Community of India’s EvalFest 2024, Agency for All co-hosted a roundtable event on February 22, “Measuring Agency and Norms: Experiences and the Way Forward,” moderated by Sambodhi’s Dr. Vikas Chandry. A panel of experts discussed the nuances of integrating measurement and analysis of agency and norms into evaluations, engaging a room of enthusiastic participants.

During a related two-day pre-conference satellite skills building workshop hosted by the South Asia Social Norms and Agency Learning Collaborative, over 50 people shared vibrant discussions around understanding and measuring norms like early marriage, family planning discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community, and emotional expression in men. “At the end of the day, we’re measuring social norms to bring about change, which is why it’s essential to know what they are and why they operate in a context,” shared Dr. Chandry.
IUSSP Expert Group Meeting Aligns Future Directions for Family Planning Measurement

From March 5-7 in Kenya, Agency for All’s Dr. Lotus McDougal and Dr. Francine Wood attended the 2024 International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) Expert Meeting on assessing approaches to demand-side family planning measurement with a reproductive justice and rights lens. They joined other leading experts to share in discussions and ask hard questions about family planning measurement. We shared insights from two studies: (1) a scoping review on conceptualization and measurement of agency in low- and middle-income countries, and (2) formative research to develop a measure of contraceptive hesitancy. “The meeting highlighted a fundamental need to shift toward person-centered measurement so that we can better understand how to support women, girls, men, and boys to achieve their reproductive goals," shared McDougal.
USAID Gender Champions Group Hosts Agency for All Orientation

On March 7, as part of the regular meeting of USAID’s Gender Champions group, Agency for All was asked to share how the project is systematically integrating gender into the planning, design, implementation, and measurement of project research, interventions, technical assistance, capacity bridging, and research utilization activities.
After the presentation, questions focused on the evidence around engaging men and the project’s work to understand intersections—conceptually and empirically—between agency, gender, climate, and health to inform programmatic design and testing. “This was an excellent opportunity to showcase the project’s unique approach,” said Agency for All’s gender advisor, Lenette Golding.
New Capacity Assessment Report from Ouagadougou Partnership Research Agenda

Under a two-year initiative, Agency for All is aiding in a research capacity building effort for the grantees of the Ouagadougou Partnership Research Agenda as part of its "Beyond 2020 Strategy." Our goal is to enhance institutional and individual capacity of grantees to generate new evidence on effective strategies to improve family planning and reproductive health and MNCH outcomes, and lead knowledge application to catalyze health-system strengthening. From October to November 2023, we conducted a baseline capacity assessment to ensure that activities would be tailored to their unique needs and contexts.
Where to Find Us
Agency for All to participate in UNFPA expert group meeting
On March 20-21, GEH’s Courtney McLarnon and EVIHDAF’s JC Fotso will join a meeting hosted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to “Take Stock of Progress and Plan Forward for Measuring Reproductive Agency in the Post 2023 Agenda.”
Agency for All-hosted interactive SBC course to be held April 8-12
Co-developed by the African Society for Social and Behavior Change, Makerere University, and the University of Witwatersrand, this course will bring together SBC practitioners and researchers on leveraging agency, social norms, and gender. The application deadline is March 16.
Agency for All at Population Association of America Annual Meeting
Alongside IUSSP, USAID, and DHS, Agency for All will host an interactive session on April 17 called “Fertility, Family Planning Measurement, and Agency Double Feature: Updates on Measurement with a Person-Centered Lens.” GEH’s Dr. Holly Baker will share our research findings to date.
Agency for All to attend JHU-hosted workshop on leveraging agency
On April 30 and May 1, GEH’s Courtney McLarnon will attend “Driving Change: Leveraging Personal Agency for International Development,” a convening of leading researchers, funders, and practitioners hosted by the SEE Change Initiative and The Agency Fund.
In Case You Missed It
Critical Conversation Series: Moving Forward Social Norms Theory and Practice
In January, the Social Norms and Agency Learning Collaborative Network hosted the next in its series of Critical Conversations to discuss social norms from an interdisciplinary perspective. Listen in to the discussion, kicked off by a panel of researchers, policy makers, and practitioners.
Podcast: Exploring the Influence of Gender Mainstreaming Policies on Norms and Agency
The Anglophone West Africa Social Norms and Agency Learning Collaborative hosts a regular podcast, and its January episode focused on various gender mainstreaming policies affecting norms and the agency of people to act. Listen in to the full episode for insights from experts.
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