Highlights from our work with 50 partners in 2007-2008.
Partnership with Healthlink Worldwide brings value-added benefits. We emphasise shared learning, so being part of our global family of partners gives access to knowledge and knowhow that leads to change. Linking learning to change can take place within and between organisations at community, national and international levels. Whatever the scale of the partnership or nature of the health or disability issue, our work enables disadvantaged people to take joint action to improve their lives.
Healthlink’s ICT resource is integral to health information networking – Philippines and Asia
Health Action Information Network (HAIN) provides the information and research needs of practical health and disability programmes targeting disadvantaged people. Effective use of information and communication technology (ICT) is an important strand of HAIN activities and HAIN relies on Source (see below) as the first stop for data when sharing learning within and between countries.
Strengthening capacity to sustain International Memory Work - Africa
International Memory Project, Africa. Since 2004 Comic Relief has funded our work with six partners to spread Memory Work training from an inspirational project with NACWOLA in Uganda to four other countries. The partnership has focused on capacity building for sustainability as funding draws to an end, so that this child-centred approach continues to improve the lives of communities affected by HIV and AIDS across Africa.
Clowns hugely effective as health advocates – Guatemala
Our innovative partner, the Asociacion Payasos Atz’anem K’oj, also known as Proyecto Payaso, has benefitted from our support in developing capacity to produce sexual health and HIV communication materials for low-literacy environments. We used Quest - our 7-step participatory process to resource development - to tailor processes and communication products to support the organisational objective of mass communication in Mayan languages. And because Quest is a participatory tool, there was a value-added learning outcome:
Source sharing learning - worldwide
Source is Healthlink Worldwide’s international online information support centre developed with Handicap International and the Centre for International Child Health. The website provides access to over 25,000 free or low-cost information resources on the practice, management and communication of health and disability issues. In 2008 - January 2010, 72379 visitors worldwide accessed resources. Source is continuously developed to improve content and user-friendliness. Go to the Source website
Mainstreaming disability in Europe’s development cooperation
The two year Disability Mainstreaming in Development Cooperation project (2006-08) brought together 12 EU organisations to promote a coherent and coordinated approach to mainstreaming disability in development across the 25 European Union Member States, the European Institutions and European NGOs working in development and humanitarian aid.
Each partner undertook a comprehensive mapping exercise in their country, with Healthlink
Worldwide carrying this out in the UK, to determine disability policies and practices. This covered the NGO sector, disabled people’s organisations and DFID. Findings enabled partners and target groups to decide on priority areas for mainstreaming and were used to target policy makers across Europe, leading to changes to government policies and practices in some EU countries.
Youth workers energised by health communication outreach project - Nicaragua
We worked with the Centre for health information and advisory services - documentation centre (CISAS-CEDOC) in resource development. Twenty-two Youth Promoters attending a CISAS CEDOC workshop on health resources saw the potential of participation in the Communication for Healthy Communities Project. Information needs assessments were undertaken in their communities.
Networking for robust advocacy - India
Communication for Health India Network (CHIN) is a rights-based communication facilitation network. We are a long term CHIN partner, taking on the role of capacity-building through the Strengthening the Voices of Vulnerable Groups (SVVG) project, and we welcomed our Indian partners’ ability to assume the lead to apply for and manage funding. Network partners now have greater impact in health information provision for marginalised people, and ‘have used improved capacity to help influence health policy and action at regional and national levels.’ Dr Ashoke Chaterjee, External evaluator, SVVG India Project.
Process is paramount in communication training - worldwide
Quest is Healthlink Worldwide’s own participatory communication training approach.
Enhanced year on year, this flexible approach to developing health communication capacity applies active learning processes, which often have ripple effects in organisational strengthening beyond the original purpose. The core principles that underlie Quest are: participation, empowerment, equity and social justice, and local ownership. A team of global facilitators now offer training worldwide. In 2007-2008 participants benefitted from Quest training in Africa and South Asia. We now also have country-led groups of Quest trainers in Bangladesh and India.