Stakeholders who have been working with the Evidence for Action (E4A) MamaYe campaign were recently oriented by MamaYe team on how to use the MamaYe branding guidelines and evidence package to hold leaders accountable and to advocate for improved maternal and newborn health outcomes beyond the end of the programme’s funding.
The one day capacity building workshop attracted participants from Save the Children, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, WASH-Net Sierra Leone, Office of the First Lady, Health Alert, Health for All Coalition, World Vision, Fambul Initiative Network for Equality (FINE-SL), Messianic Ambassadors for Africa, Oxfam, Freetown WASH Consortium, and members of the media at Kona Lodge on Thursday 19th November, 2015.
In explaining to partners about the aim of the workshop, MamaYe Advocacy Advisor Sowo Lebbie said,
the workshop aims to build the capacity of close partners in packaging and communicating evidence
The MamaYe team presented key features of Evidence for Action-MamaYe evidence products to participants, including the MamaYe handbook and branding guidelines.
Rosanna Le Voir from Options UK introduced participants to credible sources to access evidence on maternal and newborn health and other health related information. We also made available MamaYe evidence products templates and tips, including a planning tool for evidence resources.
The workshop was very interactive. Participants worked in groups to plan and develop an evidence-based advocacy product using the MamaYe toolkit on different issues including the new UN maternal mortality estimates, health financing, and facility-based deliveries.
After in-depth brainstorming, participants made presentations of their work and gave feedback on other groups’ resources.
Participants expressed disappointment about the end of funding for the E4A programme. However, they made commitments to continue MamaYe’s legacy in advocating for mothers and babies.
They were also encouraged to use MamaYe’s evidence packaging tools and resources, to send blogs to MamaYe, and to regularly visit the MamaYe Sierra Leone website for up to date information on maternal and newborn health in Sierra Leone.