Challenges & opportunities in building local partnerships in the region

1. Challenges & opportunities in building local partnerships in the region HealthProm

2. HealthProm is an international development NGO working with local communities to improve health and social care for vulnerable women and children in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

3. Our mission To achieve sustainable, culturally sensitive dissemination of best practices in health and social care for vulnerable group in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

4. Who We Are • HealthProm is a small UK registered charity based in London • HealthProm was founded in 1984 as UK-USSR Medical Exchange • HealthProm works through partnership projects with local communities

5. How it started... UK – USSR Medical Exchange Programme, 1984 Aim: To build up friendship and trust between the UK and the USSR through the medical network

6. OUR PROJECTS PROMOTE • Safe Childbirth and Newborn Care • Health and Social Care of Children • Infection Control • Care and Rehabilitation of Children with Disability We give priority to prevention and early intervention

7. Where we work • Russia • Kyrgyzstan • Tajikistan • Uzbekistan • Azerbaijan • Afghanistan Map of Central Asia and Northern Afghanistan In the past we also worked in Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

8. What we do • Provide support to vulnerable children and their families • Prevent institualisation • Rebuild, renovate and equip hospitals and health facilities • Improve and strengthen local health systems and services • Encourage social inclusion and integration of disabled children

9. How we do it • Training health and social care professionals • Develop publications and training materials • Raise public awareness and advocate at regional and national levels • Organise public health education and prevention campaigns • Build capacity of local NGOs and provide networking opportunities

10. Past Projects and Achievements Safe Childbirth Project in Azerbaijan Together with our Azerbaijani partner NGO “Family and Society” we trained more than 300 doctors and midwives in more than 6 regions in the country and provided necessary medical equipment to local hospitals in Sheki and Kizhi regions. The project was funded by GlaxoSmithKline and started in 2003. Inter-regional League of Midwives of Russia HealthProm helped develop the first professional association for midwives for Russia, which acts as a voice for Russian midwives and advocates for a defined professional role for midwives based on international definitions and standards of midwifery education and practice. Bologoye Hospital Project (Tver region, Russia) HealthProm provided essential medical equipment and professional training for the Bologoye Hospital Maternity Department Newborn care in Uzbekistan HealthProm provided training of trainers in resuscitation of newborn babies in Uzbekistan in partnership with the Ministry of Health and UNICEF

11. Past Projects and Achievements (cont.) Altai Child Disability Project (Siberia, Russia) • HealthProm and our Russian partner NGO Revival established two day care centres for disabled children and their families, which provided community based care and support service for disabled children and their families Young Child Attachment, St. Petersburg • This two-year project in partnership with the St Petersburg Early Intervention Institute, funded mainly by the European Union, ended in 2008. • The main aim was to build the Institute's knowledge and understanding of children's needs for development and a Russian evidence base of research findings on what works best for child development, to be disseminated throughout Russia. • The project also made a training film entitled "Early Relationships and Child Development“

12. Current Projects “Supporting young disabled children and their families in Kyrgyz Republic” • Started in May 2008, for three years • Funded by the Big Lottery Fund • Working in partnership with two Kyrgyz NGOs – Association of Parents of Disabled Children, Bishkek, and Public Association “Shoola-Kol”, Issyk-Kul region

13. About the Kyrgyz project • Pilot regions: Bishkek and IssukKul region • Reaching most vulnerable children with mental and physical disability AND their families • To provide information and support to families • To prevent the child from being signed to an institution.

14. Current Projects (cont) An Early Years Support Centre service in Dushanbe • This two year long project started in December 2009 • Funded by the European Commission The project will: • Train mothers to become financially active; • Provide crisis support and short term accommodation for women and children at risk; • Provide counselling and support to parents and awareness training for local administrators; • Train professionals in child care and early intervention.

15. Current Projects (cont) Reducing maternal and newborn deaths in Charharkint District, Northern Afghanistan Partners: Bakhtar Development Network Project activities: • Recruiting and training community health workers to provide basic health care • Raising awareness and improving quality of care in 10 poor villages • Providing essential equipment and supplies, building premises for the health centre • Providing motor transport for obstetric emergencies

16. Definition of partnership • The term “partnership” is used in a variety of ways and in different contexts. Most common definition: Partnership means a formal agreement between two or more parties that have agreed to work together in the pursuit of common goals.

17. Key elements of successful partnership • Create a bond of trust and demonstrate openness • Work as a team • Respect the organizational mission of each partner • Respect the expectations and limits of each partner • Share power, risks and responsibilities • Encourage commitment and equal involvement from all partners

18. Building local partnerships HealthProm has had partnerships with: • Hospitals • Local authorities (departments of health, etc) • National and regional governments (Ministries) • NGOs • Universities and colleges • Professional associations • Individuals

19. Examples of partnerships • Bologoye hospital, Tver region, Russia • Local Department of Health –Togliatti infection control project • Local NGOs -Kyrgyz Child Disability Project • Local NGOs and Ministry of Social Protection in the Altai Republic • Professional Association – Russian League of Midwives, Moscow

20. Challenges and Opportunities Challenges • Finding a good partner • Building trust • Changing environment (etc legal, funding etc) • Language and cultural differences • Working with a partner from a distance • Limitations of various types of partners • Sustainability

21. Challenges and Opportunities Opportunities • Strong local NGOs • Accessibility –internet, other technologies • Change in partnership approach from international NGOs • Funding requirements for partnerships • Mutual interests

22. Lessons learnt • Invest in feasibility study and in finding a “good” partner • Be clear about roles and responsibilities of each partner • Equal partnership, no patronising please! You can learn a lot from partners • Start working on sustainability of your partners and a project from the very beginning –do not leave to the end of the project

23. Lessons learnt (cont.) • Risk assessment of the partnership before the start of the project/at the beginning • Make clear the difference between “donor” and “partner” • Respect the people you work with • Don’t make assumptions • Be sensitive cultural differences • Don’t forget about partnerships with other similar international or European NGOs