The Challenge Initiative - TCI

The Government of , through its Ministry of Health, has achieved a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 58% by promoting and improving access to primary and community healthcare. With health funding gaps and high out-of-pocket expenses, adequate health financing is crucial. Since the 2010 constitution's devolution, county governments manage finances and strategic purchasing.

supports these efforts by coaching leaders on securing and protecting family planning funding. So far, the counties have committed close to $6 million USD to implement TCI’s family planning interventions. Read more on the TCI website. Jhpiego

The Government of , through its Ministry of Health, has achieved a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 58% by promoting and improving access to primary and community healthcare. With health funding gaps and high out-of-pocket expenses, adequate health financing is crucial. Since the 2010 constitution's devolution, county governments manage finances and strategic purchasing.

supports these efforts by coaching leaders on securing and protecting family planning funding. So far, the counties have committed close to $6 million USD to implement TCI’s family planning interventions. Read more: https://ow.ly/ZrZq50SbfE6 Tupange for Better Cities Jhpiego

With support, the Department of Health in Central district in decided to strengthen their staff’s capacity with tools while also developing a cadre of new master coaches to embed in the health system. A workshop was designed to develop the skills of potential new master coaches from all districts engaged with TCI in Sindh (Karachi and Hyderabad), including technical staff, women medical officers, non-technical staff, M&E coordinators, and dispensers.

Read more about the successes of this training program: https://ow.ly/oLgX50SbeYF

Greenstar Social Marketing

, , had a 38.9% adolescent birth rate in 2018. After collaborated to improve services, it dropped to 14.5%, demonstrating the success of these targeted interventions and stakeholder collaborations.

Read more about the outcome of these programs: https://ow.ly/l8Oj50SbeCQ

Zuellig Family Foundation

The Health Region in partnered with to host a workshop to assess its program. “Data for Decision-Making” brought together municipal representatives and community leaders to review data, discuss challenges, and plan future actions. Group discussions addressed including private facilities in data reporting, improving financial planning, and engaging community health workers.

Read more about how the workshop highlighted the importance of a data-driven approach for informed decision-making, marking a significant step toward enhancing family planning programs in the region: https://ow.ly/80Kn50SbawB
IntraHealth International

A new article published in Global Health: Science and Practice Journal details the success of a novel approach by and the Ministry of Health in that focused on integrating adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health activities into existing programs. Findings indicate that this strategic addition not only meets the specific needs of young people but also enhances contraceptive uptake among the broader population of reproductive-aged women. Read more about the results of this initiative: https://tciurbanhealth.org/youth-focused-interventions-in-three-uganda-districts-boost-family-planning-outcomes-for-older-women-too/
Jhpiego Tupange for Better Cities

GHSP Documents TCI’s Positive Impact on Urban Reproductive Health - https://mailchi.mp/7e19da967ebe/business-unusual-ghsp-supplement

has just published a nine-article supplement in Global Health: Science and Practice Journal focusing on TCI’s experience supporting local governments to scale up and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health services. This comprehensive supplement offers valuable insights into the implementation and sustainability of high-impact practices across diverse contexts, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Read more on the TCI website: https://ow.ly/X7Ch50RXob3

Women in their first 12 months postpartum often receive insufficient attention from healthcare systems, even though unintended pregnancies can pose significant health risks. Integrating modern services during childbirth significantly boosts postpartum use, reducing unintended and closely spaced pregnancies.

supported seven counties in (Bungoma, Busia, Nakuru, Narok, Siaya, Kajiado, and Trans Nzoia) expanded access to quality reproductive health services by increasing the competence and confidence of healthcare providers who deliver the bulk of care to the region’s pregnant women, mothers, and children. Read more about this initiative: https://ow.ly/ioTP50RRKpS

Jhpiego Tupange for Better Cities

This , recognizes the importance of whole family support when making decisions. To aid in this, TCI has advocated dispelling misconceptions surrounding family planning among men in .

TCI has been working in Rawalpindi since June 2022. Part of its support includes increasing the effectiveness of the District Technical Committee (DTC) to enhance data-driven planning, inter-departmental coordination, problem-solving, and supervision to meet district targets.

https://ow.ly/CzEX50RHwOt Greenstar Social Marketing

Happy ! Today we recognize Farzana Baloch, a respected Lady Health Supervisor and -trained coach who has been supporting mothers and families in for over 25 years!

Farzana’s unwavering commitment earned her the title “Farzana Baji,” celebrated for her successful efforts to bridge the gap between services and women in her community. Read more about the impact of her advocacy: https://ow.ly/X96Q50Rwlj5

Greenstar Social Marketing

In , there is a significant unmet need for among girls ages 15-24. A recent article in Global Health: Science and Practice Journal outlines how supported local health system leaders to enhance family planning and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health services for young people, fostering increased contraceptive uptake. Read more about the program results: https://ow.ly/fRiC50Rv9z2
IntraHealth International

Recognizing the importance of quality data in , and the District Health Management team of held a training session for facility staff to standardize data management practices and improve reporting accuracy.

This collaborative effort was endorsed by government stakeholders, including District Health Officers from Central, South, and Keamari. Their support underscored the importance of cross-district cooperation in addressing healthcare challenges and exemplified the strength of such partnerships.

Read more about the impact of this cross-district learning effort: https://ow.ly/FoVc50RupgF

Greenstar Social Marketing

A recent article in the Global Health: Science and Practice Journal explores how TCI’s tailored programs involving community health workers can improve contraceptive access for young first-time parents (FTPs) in India. TCI and Population Services International, India Private Limited in collaboration with the National Health Mission Uttar Pradesh engaged 20 cities in the region. Five of those cities (Allahabad, Firozabad, Gorakhpur, Saharanpur, and Varanasi) also received additional support to improve adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health services specifically for first-time parents aged 15-24 years.

Read more about the results of this study: https://ow.ly/aeNf50RuoWz

In Francophone West (FWA), significant efforts are underway to meet national commitments and targets aimed at enhancing utilization and maternal health. Two notable regional investment programs are currently active in the region: and the Integrated Client-Centered RMNCAH/N Care , led by IntraHealth International.

This collaboration has achieved significant milestones including coaching health providers in TCI and INSPiRE approaches, enhancing providers’ capacity, establishing coordination units/steering committees in partner cities, monitoring/evaluating HIPs & HIIs implementation quality and coverage, and ensuring accountability and effectiveness.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/HjJo50RouUt

In the heart of Chitwapur, Lucknow, the Urban Family Welfare Center stands as a beacon of health, thanks to the transformative efforts of Dr. Geetanjali Singh. Her prowess lies in her combination of medical expertise and her unique ability to connect health issues to the whole person.

Singh has made the center famous for helping families with health check-ups, vaccinations, , and even screening for cervical cancer. Her work emphasizes the importance of extending candid family planning conversations to husbands and running adolescent sexual health sessions. https://ow.ly/WWGa50Rosm1
Population Services International, India Private Limited

In Iligan City, Philippines, ensuring high-quality healthcare services has always been a priority. However, numerous structural issues hindered progress in and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health ( ). Addressing these challenges, Iligan City partnered with , the Zuellig Family Foundation, and the Department of Health Center for Health and Development in Northern Mindanao to improve local family planning and AYSRH interventions.

Learn more about how this collaboration has been instrumental to the city’s efforts: https://ow.ly/2MZu50Roiar Zuellig Family Foundation

Since TCI came to Punjab in June 2022, the Department of Health (DOH) in Punjab, Pakistan, has been taking a proactive approach to organizing and managing training sessions thanks to the help of . By implementing a monthly training plan and actively involving partners in the process, DOH has streamlined its training efforts and recognized the importance of proper documentation and record-keeping.

TCI is assisting with the reactivation of a long-underutilized Training Management System and implementing other tools to facilitate collaboration and data sharing among stakeholders in real time. Read more about how these efforts are promoting accuracy in recording training details and also allowing for better tracking and monitoring of activities across districts: https://ow.ly/imhG50RjxGX

Greenstar Social Marketing

believes a key factor for sustainable programs is getting local governments to commit their own funding and specifically earmark “ring-fence” funds for family planning. In 2023, local governments spent an average of nearly 85% of the $15 million in committed funds ring-fenced for family planning in their budgets across TCI’s six hubs.

Since TCI’s launch in 2016, local governments have committed more than $61 million for family planning with nearly 60% of that spent. https://ow.ly/5rXJ50Rjxvw

Religious scholars in are helping promote to provide accurate information about contraception and reproductive health to the Muslim population while addressing any faith-based misconceptions and/or hesitations they may have.

The Population Welfare Department (PWD) with support from has engaged various Islamic scholars to address and provide trustworthy information on family planning as it relates to Islamic teachings and the Holy Book Quran.

Maulana Shafiq ur Rehman, a local religious scholar and family planning champion, regularly visits the family planning satellite camps held by the PWD. In these camps, he gives brief talks that reference Quranic verses to clarify Islamic teachings regarding family planning, Read more about these efforts: https://tciurbanhealth.org/pakistan-religious-scholars-promote-family-planning-to-ensure-informed-choices-and-enhance-well-being/

Greenstar Social Marketing

Last year, TCI instituted the Rapid Scale Initiative, a model for achieving sustainable impact at scale in just two years rather than the traditional three-year program design. TCI launched RSI in 10 cities in 2023, including four cities in India (Bhubaneshwar in Odisha and Satna, Morena, and Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh), one state in Nigeria (Jigawa), three cities in East Africa (Hoima, Uganda; Homabay, Kenya; Geita DC, Tanzania), and two cities in Pakistan (Multan and Khanewal).

Of the nearly 992,000 additional family planning clients TCI contributed to in 2023, 33,307 came from these 10 cities. Learn about how insights gained will inform TCI’s evolving operational model: https://ow.ly/gglA50RhEE8

TCI's work with regional governments in Pakistan is making a difference in the community. Hear more about it in local citizens' own words on the TCI YouTube channel: https://ow.ly/VqPR50RciS3
Greenstar Social Marketing

TCI’s locally-led approach transforms regional health programs. Local governments in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania are investing in family planning services and integrated reproductive healthcare to improve their communities. TCI has contributed to more than 1.9 million additional family planning clients in East Africa by improving access to contraceptive services, giving more women and girls the freedom to decide when and whether to have children. Read more: https://ow.ly/PBtF50Rcgrt
Jhpiego Tupange for Better Cities

On 2024, TCI’s Francophone West Africa hub celebrated health workers like Diouf Halimatou Biteye, a midwife in Thiès, Senegal. Biteye – head midwife in the maternity ward at the Sampathé Health Post, Thiès Health District – is a TCI-trained master coach, supporting efforts to scale up high-impact family planning and reproductive health interventions for the urban poor. Read more about Biteye's family planning work in the region: https://ow.ly/1mIf50Rcf0p
IntraHealth International

World Health Day recognizes healthcare as a fundamental human right. As we observe the 2024 theme "My health, my right," TCI celebrates our partners who work tirelessly to ensure access to quality health services, education, and information for all. World Health Organization (WHO)

A new article in Global Health: Science and Practice Journal explores TCI's innovative work in Nigeria. Learn how TCI is forging new partnerships between proprietary patent medicine vendors (PPMVs) and primary health centers (PHCs) to improve access to quality contraceptive services for adolescents and youth. PPMVs are private-sector drug shops that are significant providers of family planning services, particularly for short-term contraceptive methods. TCI supported four state governments in Nigeria to establish these public-private partnerships and ensure services provided by PPMVs were of high quality and complied with regulations. TCI’s support also included improving PPMV referrals to PHCs for long-acting reversible contraception. Getittogetherng
https://ow.ly/jQAQ50R8Mh7

TCI Pakistan introduced whole-site orientation (WSO) to ensure comprehensive family planning training for all health facility staff. A recent WSO that highlighted the significance of involving men in family planning discussions had a profound impact on a local couple's life.

"Family planning is the only way to manage the family size and plan one’s living. Now my wife is happy and at peace. She doesn’t have to take any pills or injections, which also makes me contented to see her getting back in shape and uplifting spirits. … It takes two to tango and one should never leave the other hanging in these important decisions. My wife and her health are my responsibility and utmost priority.”

Read more about Javed and Safiya's family planning journey: https://ow.ly/Ri4b50R6JrB Greenstar Social Marketing

Local governments that graduate from TCI show promising signs of institutionalization and sustainability. This is an encouraging sign that TCI is instituting lasting changes within the health system to ensure that outcomes remain strong. Since 2017, TCI has engaged 198 local governments across 13 countries, with 97 of those graduating from TCI’s direct support. It has also contributed to 4.2 million additional family planning clients. Read more about the latest outcomes in the "Data to Wisdom" series. https://ow.ly/AbO950R6Hno

Two cities in TCI-supported Jharkhand, India, are empowering community health workers to streamline supply chain management. Before TCI engaged with Jharkhand’s cities, a problematic, paper-based manual supply-chain system was in use, leading to shortages or complete stock-out. The Family Planning Logistics Management Information System (FPLMIS) initiated by the government of India revolutionized the health system by digitizing the supply chain. Learn why FPLMIS was a good solution for Bokaro and Deoghar: https://ow.ly/GJU050R0tkO Population Services International, India Private Limited

The first of the From Data to Wisdom series is now online! In this new blog series, we embark on a journey through the complex landscape of data, exploring how it evolves into invaluable wisdom, shaping the trajectory of learning and development. Through analysis and insightful narratives, we delve into TCI’s impact and results from a diverse array of sources. Join us as we shed light on TCI’s transformative contributions to the art and science of scaling high-impact practices and other high-impact interventions. In this edition, learn more about how TCI Scaled Up Global HIPs in 2023: https://tciurbanhealth.org/scaling-up-global-hips-tcis-recent-experience-implementing-postpartum-family-planning-interventions/