Lessons Learned and Recommendations
- The gender and health systems strengthening eLearning course proved an effective way to introduce a complex topic to a broad audience. Because gender discrimination and inequalities are context-specific, providing learners with case studies and examples is essential to illustrate gender dynamics. Additional course study groups could be offered—for example, in East and Southern Africa or among francophone countries—to create virtual communities of practice that can share experiences and support each other to promote gender equality.
- A functional, robust human resources information system (HRIS), such as the iHRIS-supported Cross River State health workforce registry, is key to monitor health workers longitudinally and promote sex-disaggregated analyses by cadre, location, and age to reveal where attention can be focused to address discrimination and promote equal opportunity. Similarly, student, graduate, and faculty tracking systems are important to identify where there may be gender challenges in health professional education systems.
- Gender advocacy action plans may need to differ from traditional development approaches. For example, many small “quick win” steps may need to be adapted as the strategy evolves. Further support is needed to develop compelling and timely data-driven gender advocacy messages, link them to specific “asks” to policy-makers, and hold policy-makers accountable for implementation.
- In countries with cultural and societal challenges to addressing SGBV (e.g., Mali) the rollout of SGBV curricula should be accompanied by community mobilization to include political leaders, traditional and religious leaders, health systems leaders, women’s groups, youth groups, and a pool of health worker champions who are trained and identified as being supportive of SGBV victims and can motivate and inspire other health workers.