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SAHAYOG has been studying women’s health issues since 1996. The
purpose of research was to enable the organization and its partners to
get a nuanced understanding of a new issue before taking it up for
interventions. Research may also contribute to the evidence base for
advocacy work. As such, all research is followed up with action
programmes.
The research methodology in SAHAYOG also follows some guiding ethical
principles, namely:
- The purpose of the research must be clear to the women subjects
and their informed consent obtained as a community.
- The research must be grounded in literature review and a study
advisory group constituted.
- The women subjects of research must be part of an interactive and
participatory data gathering process.
- The findings of the research must be shared with the women
subjects while maintaining confidentiality; innovative methods may
be used to share it with non-literate audiences.
- The women subjects must be supported to take local action based on
the analysis of the findings.
- Research must be pro-actively disseminated to the wider community
of stakeholders to facilitate the process of change.
Recent Research at SAHAYOG:
State Level
National Level
International Level
WHRAP Phase II Baseline Survey (2006)
This study was carried out from October 2006 to February 2007
to assess the capacities of community women leaders, new national
partners, state government officials, and the media to make advocacy on
maternal health effective and sustainable at the start of the second
phase of the WHRAP project on maternal health. The baseline study also
examined the response of the media to maternal health advocacy in Uttar
Pradesh. This study used both qualitative and quantitative research
methods, including focus group discussions and observations with
community women, semi-structured interviews with government officials,
review of media coverage of campaigns and press conferences, and surveys
of various NGOs/CBOs to map their strengths and capacities on the issue
of maternal health.
For more information about this project, read the report on the
Resources
page...
Case Documentation of Women’s
Experiences with JSY (2005-2007)
The implementation of the JSY scheme in UP has been monitored
by SAHAYOG and the group of organizations working within the WHRAP
partnership in U.P. Between October 2005 and April 2007, these
organizations, through the rural women’s network Mahila Swasthya
Adhikar Manch in seven districts, were able to identify and conduct
detailed documentation of around 20 cases of adverse maternal health
outcomes in which women’s maternal healthcare-seeking history was
investigated.
For more information about this project, read the report on the Resources
page...
National Level
Negotiating Rights: Building
coalitions for improving Maternal Health services in Uttar Pradesh,
India (2008-2010)
This new action research project was initiated in 2008 and
seeks to investigate different actors’ perceptions about and
approaches to maternal health, as well as build coalitions of women,
providers and policymakers for dialogue about the provision of maternal
health services.
For more information, click here...
Access to Maternal Health Services for Women
Workers in the Unorganized Sector (2007-2009)
In India, the unorganized sector is currently 93% of the total
workforce (NSSO - National Sample Survey Organization). Women workers
are overwhelmingly found in the unorganized sector (94% of employed
women), and these women face a unique set of challenges to their health
and well-being due to the precarious and often dangerous conditions of
their employment. This study examines access to health services for
women workers in the unorganized sector across three states of India,
with special reference to maternal health services. The three states
involved in the study are Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chattisgarh.
The study is being carried out in collaboration with NGO partners in
these three states who are already working on rights and health issues
with women workers in the informal sector.
Objectives:
- To provide a baseline understanding of the situation of access to
health services for unorganized women workers before the
implementation of the government’s proposed Social Security
scheme.
- To empower women workers of the unorganized sector with the
knowledge of the laws and schemes that exist for their benefit, and
an assessment of the extent to which these are being implemented.
- To lead to policy and programme recommendations to enhance the
women workers’ access to occupational and maternal health
services.
The methods employed for this study are qualitative and include case
studies of individual women, focus group discussions with the women in
their communities, population-based surveys and interviews with health
providers, employers/contractors and key officials in each state.
Outcomes:
This study aims to produce the following outcomes:
Development of a study report that includes policy and legal
recommendations on how to improve health services for women workers in
the unorganized sector.
Formulation of an intervention plan by partner organizations and women
workers’ organizations that is aimed at improving women’s access to
health services.
Increased awareness and mobilization of women workers around the issues
of access to legal protection and health benefits, particularly maternal
health benefits.
National Study on Maternal Health and
Institutional Delivery (2007-2008)
This national qualitative study seeks to understand and document
women’s experiences with institutional delivery or attempted
institutional delivery across 9 states of India in order to find out
what effect the government’s policies that promote delivery in
institutions are having on improving maternal health. The experiences of
women who have reached an institution during labour for their most
recent delivery are being documented through in-depth interviews with
women and/or their family members in each state. The study will document
women’s experiences in rural and urban areas, as well as across lower
and better-performing states. The multi-centric study is being conducted
cooperation with partner NGOs in the 9 states of Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat,
Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West
Bengal using their contacts with women from diverse communities.
Objectives:
- To understand the experiences of women who delivered or attempted
to deliver in institutions.
- To examine the need for changes or improvements in the Indian
government’s current policy on safe motherhood and maternal
health.
Outcomes:
We believe that detailed accounts of women’s experiences receiving or
attempting to receive institutional delivery care will provide us with a
better understanding of the problems women are currently facing when
trying to deliver in institutions, and will allow us to come up with
recommendations to improve this situation. As a result of this study, we
hope to initiate a national advocacy effort aimed at informing the
government about the on-the-ground realities of delivery in institutions
and encouraging government officials look at the whole continuum of
pregnancy care rather than simply focusing on institutional delivery as
the solution to India’s high rate of maternal morbidity and mortality.
International Level
Tracing Pharmaceuticals
in South Asia: Regulation, Distribution and Consumption (2005-2009)
SAHAYOG is collaborating with CHSJ and the University of
Edinburgh on tracing pharmaceuticals that largely affect women’s
health. This qualitative research study traces the use of three common
drugs used for delivery, depression and TB in order to understand the
pharmaceutical industry’s behaviors and illuminate the reasons for
misuse of such essential pharmaceutical products.
For more information, click here...
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