AFIDEP News Issue No 3

This newsletter consists of several articles. Some of the featured articles are listed below. 1)How Evidence-Based is Evidence-Informed Policy Making? In February 2012, AFIDEP partnered with a host of organizations and sponsors, for a 3 day conference which was attended by delegates working in various capacities in the evidence-to-policy arena including academic researchers, service providers engaged in implementation research and policy makers representing private, governmental and non-governmental organizations from Africa, the UK, Asia and South America. The aim of the conference was to go beyond theory and create a platform where practical experiences and lessons in applying evidence in decision making could be shared, and key gaps and potential solutions identified. 2)Strengthening African Women Leaders’ Participation in Defining Country Priorities for FP & RH. Dr. Ruth Musila and Ms. Violet Murunga (AFIDEP staff), were inducted into the growing pool of CEDPA-trained Women Leaders for FP/RH Alumni through participation in a three-week workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, facilitated by Center for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA). The workshop was designed to strengthen women’s roles and voices in defining country FP/RH priorities and promoting host-country support for FP/RH. 3) The K* (KStar) Initiative Global Knowledge Intermediaries. The term K* (KStar) was coined to encompass key practices and roles that knowledge intermediaries conduct in order to bridge the gap between research, policy and practice. The broad nature of K* practices renders them applicable in sectors as diverse as health, education, international development, agriculture, and environmental sustainability. 4)Kenya launches a National Family Planning campaign ‘Tujipange’ as it rolls out its reproductive health policy. 5) The Integra initiative: Demonstrating the Benefits of Integrated HIV and Reproductive Health Services in Kenya, and Swaziland is aimed at gathering evidence to determine the costs and benefits of models used to deliver integrated HIV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in high- and medium-high-HIV-prevalence settings to reduce HIV (and associated stigma) and unintended pregnancies.