Final Report: IDEA Project, 2010-2015

The project aimed to increase support among decisionmakers for effective health and population policies and programs. To achieve this goal, three intermediate project results were identified: Content Development, Media, and Capacity Building. Content Development involved analyzing, synthesizing, and disseminating health and population data information to engage relevant policy and advocacy audiences. The project team developed materials on priority issues in cutting-edge formats, including the annual World Population Data Sheet. These materials were used by other organizations to support health and population advocacy, training, and reporting. Media training and technical assistance were provided to strengthen the capacity of media to provide quality coverage of key health and population issues. As a result, nearly 3,000 news stories were produced on family planning and reproductive health by IDEA-trained journalists. ENGAGE multimedia presentations were used to catalyze dialogue at international events, including the Harnessing the Demographic Dividend conference. Capacity Building involved training and supporting individuals and institutions to use information to influence decisionmakers. The project team built the communications capacity of institutions, researchers, and advocates, and nurtured communities of policy champions. Policy communication training alumni used their skills in direct communication with decisionmakers about family planning and reproductive health. The project achieved an impressive 47 Strategic Objective results, more than double the target of 20 SO-level results. These results demonstrate a shift in policies, programs, and priorities to increase access to family planning for women and families. Collectively, they improved the enabling environment for family planning in countries around the world. Many results come from countries where IDEA received USAID mission field support for project activities. These included changes in traditional by-laws for early marriage in Malawi and county-level budget increases for family planning in Kenya. Media training and technical assistance resulted in increased news coverage on family planning and reproductive health, such as news coverage of rape injustices in India and Pakistan. The project recorded thousands of additional project results, including nearly 300 instances of other organizations using IDEA materials, and more than 200 instances of policy communication training alumni using their skills in direct communication with decisionmakers about family planning and reproductive health. These intermediate steps are critical on the path to policy change. The project's success demonstrates that concise, evidence-based, nontechnical information empowers leaders and decisionmakers with a better understanding of the investments required to achieve sustained social and economic growth. Holding governments accountable through the media requires journalists who understand the issues, know how to best use data, and frame the challenges in each country. Training researchers and advocates to influence policies requires a strategic, intentional effort and leads to sustainability and local ownership. Concerted national and subnational advocacy efforts for family planning are critical for improved outcomes. FP advocates cannot depend on the momentum from international initiatives such as Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) alone to yield change at the local level. Strengthening the advocacy skills of local decisionmakers and organizations in the public and private sectors, including civil society, is essential to success. Partnering with local organizations facilitates both ownership of activities and sustainability over time. The IDEA Project's work under IDEA followed a similar route, with activities focusing increasingly on leaders at subnational levels. Nontechnical, concise information has become even more important and empowering at these levels; at the same time, devolution inspires new challenges, such as the importance of working in local languages and an appreciation of cultural context.