Family planning service expansion and technical support [SEATS]

A U.S. contractor will implement the project. Some 50 new 3-year SP"s will be developed with local FP organizations in countries of low contraception prevalence. The type of SP (e.g., community-based delivery, fixed-center clinical services) as well as the extent of support activities (e.g., IEC, training, materials development) will be based on local priorities and needs. The project will continously monitor all SP"s and will provide 4-6 long-term advisors in priority countries. In addition, two regional project offices will be established, in Francophone and Anglophone Africa, a central management information system will be set up for monitoring the financial and programmatic status of the SP"s, and a field level capability will be established to estimate contraceptive requirements. Local entities will pay at least 25% of SP costs initially, gradually assuming greater financial responsibility. A variety of training will be offered. Training materials will be developed as needed, and will consist of interactive modules in English (and later in French and Arabic) and, in addition to service delivery and management skills, will cover such topics as computing prevalence rates, commodity requirements, and budgets. Other activities are to: build a local management capability by subcontracting for training and management assistance with local entities; offer up to 50 in-country courses for SP staff in project development and administration and in technical areas (e.g., clinic management, contraceptive technology, financing); conduct up to 10 regional seminars/workshops; and sponsor 40 participants to attend technical courses (e.g, on sterilization, IUD insertion, or counseling) in the U.S. or at regional locations. The project will also assign long-term national-level FP policy advisors in up to 12 countries (these advisors will have no direct involvement in SP"s) and will fund a variety of information dissemination activities (seminars, etc.) to strengthen the project"s management and increase awareness of its accomplishments and lessons learned.