Project Design Archives - People-Planet Connection

The Population, Health and Environment (PHE) Pathway to Livelihoods Improvement: Lessons and Best Practices from Nepal

This report describes the accomplishments and lessons learned by the Environmental Health Project (CDM) as part of the design and implementation of a pilot project to address community health and conservation issues, as requested by USAID/Nepal. The project was devised to build the self-help capacity of CFUGs to implement and sustain integrated approaches to population, health and environment (PHE) that also contribute to sustainable livelihood development. The pilot engaged 114 CFUGs in a variety of PHE advocacy, awareness-raising and service delivery activities during 2006-2008. RIMS-Nepal, WWF-Nepal, and ADRA-Nepal collaborated with CDM on this initiative. The livelihood, health and conservation accomplishments detailed here provide insights and best practices for PHE practitioners.

Year: 2009

Source: United States Agency for International Development | CDM International

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April 14, 2021/by Sean Stewart

Research Brief: Assessing the Benefits of Integrating Family Planning and Environmental Management Activities – Lessons Learned from the Philippines

English Brief Coastal Resources Center Philippines Community Outreach, Integration, Project Design

This brief summarizes a study conducted in the Philippines by Pollnac and Dacanay in 2011, which assessed the benefits of the Integrated Population and Coastal Resource Management (IPOPCORM) project, an integrated population and environment (PE) project implemented by PATH Foundation Philippines Inc.(PFPI) in the Visayan region of the Philippines. In light of the growing interest in evidence to support the position that integrated projects create synergies and add value, the “Building Actors and Leaders for Advancing Community Excellence in Development” (BALANCED) Project conducted research that tested this hypothesis. The study investigated what factors contributed most towards attaining benefits from an integrated PE approach. The authors found that the level of participation was a key determinant of benefits. Other significant factors in determining the degree of benefits included type of nongovernmental organization activities, context factors inherent to a community (e.g., population size and density), and individual characteristics of those who participated in the project.

Year: 2011

Source: The BALANCED Project

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Community Outreach

Integration

Project Design

April 13, 2021/by Sean Stewart

Providing Family Planning Services to Remote Communities in Areas of High Biodiversity Through a Population-Health-Environment Programme in Madagascar

English Journal Article Reproductive Health Matters Madagascar Community Outreach, Conservation, Family Planning, Integration, Project Design

Population-Health-Environment (PHE) is an interdisciplinary model of programme design which recognises the complex interconnections between people, their health and their environment. PHE responds holistically to the challenges faced by ecosystems and the communities dependent on them, with thematically distinct but interconnected work strands sharing the same infrastructure, resources and goals. This has been shown to achieve better outcomes than tackling health and environmental issues in isolation. This paper shows how PHE programme design has been used by Blue Ventures for providing family planning services in a remote, biodiverse coastal region in southwest Madagascar. The PHE programme has integrated family planning services into a pre-existing, community-based conservation programme, aided by the established infrastructure and good community relations developed by the conservation workers. Implementation of the programme has led to a strong uptake of family planning services, and couples in the region are now able to make their own family planning choices. Successes and challenges of the programme are discussed.

Year: 2014

Source: Reproductive Health Matters

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April 13, 2021/by Sean Stewart

Population, Health, Environment: What Works and Why

English Report Evaluation and Research Technologies for Health Global Implementation, Integration, Project Design, Scale-up

This report was commissioned to address the question of what works and what doesn’t work to make PHE programs successful – the most successful being those with the potential for scale or expansion. Findings were derived from document reviews, web searches and interviews with members of the PHE practice community. The report aims to reveal how PHE has evolved to fill an important gap, i.e., a tested approach to working cross-sectorally that achieves results in multiple domains. Its evolution has been both directed and natural. Direction, and ballast, has come from core funders and a group within the community of practice. “Ground-truthing” has come from the vast array of other practitioners. Integration is not easy but with time, resources and skill, it can be successfully achieved under a variety of conditions. Key factors facilitating success are described within. Under select conditions, the approach can work at scale. What scale is most relevant depends on the conservation goal and human/environment interactions.

Year: 2013

Source: Evaluation and Research Technologies for Health

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April 9, 2021/by Sean Stewart

PHE Voices: Stories from PHE Champions, Model Households, and Policy Makers in the Lake Victoria Basin of the East African Community

English Story Collection Pathfinder International Kenya, Uganda Advocacy, Biodiversity, Conservation, Integration, Project Design

These stories and photos are from policy makers and champions of an integrated approach to development known as Population, Health, and Environment (PHE), which focuses on the interconnectedness between human health and environmental health. PHE programs improve primary health care services such as family planning and reproductive health, while also helping communities conserve biodiversity, manage natural resources, and develop sustainable livelihoods. When these issues are addressed simultaneously, communities thrive. This collection highlights the experiences of PHE stakeholders and champions in the Lake Victoria Basin.

The stories are an inspiration to anyone struggling to understand why PHE is important. Any donor or development partner who is looking for reasons to invest in PHE can find answers right here. For program designers and developers of integrated PHE approaches, this collection provides an overview of key components to consider while designing your package.

Year: 2018

Source: Lake Victoria Basin Commission and the Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Project

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April 8, 2021/by Sean Stewart

PHE Field Implementation: A Simple PHE Resource Guide/Compendium for Practitioners

English Tool/Guide Coastal Resources Center Global Implementation, Integration, Monitoring & Evaluation, Project Design

The Building Actors and Leaders for Advancing Community Excellence in Development (BALANCED) Project developed this publication to provide field-based practitioners of PHE projects with a comprehensive set of ideas and resources for project implementation, from project design to evaluation. This Guide provides brief explanations and links to tools that are considered most useful to PHE practitioners in different stages of PHE project design and implementation. It draws on best practices and approaches used by nongovernmental organizations implementing PHE projects and the BALANCED Project’s experience developing and assisting other organizations to develop PHE projects in Africa and Asia.

Year: 2013

Source: The BALANCED Project

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Implementation

Integration

Monitoring & Evaluation

Project Design

April 5, 2021/by Sean Stewart

Integrating Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) Projects: A Programming Manual

English Tool/Guide United States Agency for International Development Global Conservation, Implementation, Integration, Population, Project Design, Scale-up

This highly detailed program design manual begins by describing the evolution of PHE integrated projects, and why they remain relevant. It then lays out critical steps for designing and implementing a PHE project. These steps are not strictly sequential; there is more than one successful way to carry out a project. The steps are provided as a guideline for project designers to determine if they are on the right track. This document also aims to achieve longer and larger success in PHE projects by creating value-added synergies, and including sustainability and scalability in project design. Emphasis is placed on these components as crucial steps to designing a successful integrated project.

Year: 2007

Source: United States Agency for International Development

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April 2, 2021/by Sean Stewart

Gender and Resilience: From Theory to Practice

English, French Case Study, Report BRACED Project Burkina Faso, Chad, Myanmar, Sudan, Uganda Adaptation, Climate Change, Gender, Natural Disasters, Project Design, Resilience

This paper synthesizes four case studies from Uganda, Myanmar, Sudan/Chad, and Burkina Faso, documenting strategies towards building gender equality through resilience projects. The purpose is to document how gender inequalities manifest themselves in all four locations; how gender is conceptualised in theories of change (ToCs); the operationalisation of objectives to tackle gender inequalities; internal and external obstacles to the implementation of gender-sensitive activities; and drivers that help NGOs transform gender relations and build resilience. The case studies describe how disasters and climate change affect gender groups and underscore the patriarchal social norms that disproportionately restrict women and girls’ equal access to rights and resources. This paper aims to demonstrate how to draw on promising practices to make resilience projects inclusive and equitable. It also recommends areas where further research could increase understanding of resilience to climate extremes and longer-term changes, and suggests how donors and funding can best support efforts to build communities’ resilience.

Year: 2016

Source: The BRACED Project

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March 25, 2021/by Sean Stewart

Developing Behavior Change Communications for Population, Health and Environment Projects: A Facilitator’s Guide

English Tool/Guide, Training Material Coastal Resources Center Philippines Community Health, Community Outreach, Conservation, Integration, Project Design

This Guide was designed for facilitators/trainers who work with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) implementing population, health and environment (PHE) activities to develop a behavior change communication (BCC) intervention that supports the achievement of the PHE project’s goals and objectives. It instructs the facilitator on how to train participants on the basic components of a BCC intervention. It also advises how to adapt these components for PHE projects that need integrated messages to raise community awareness of the PHE linkages of health and pro-conservation behaviors. This training is best suited for NGOs and/or government agencies with existing PHE or core health/conservation activities. It is ideal for individuals from organizations that have already participated in a workshop on PHE project design or in a PHE-related workshop in which they developed a PHE conceptual framework, PHE project goal, and objectives and activities.

Year: 2013

Source: The BALANCED Project

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March 23, 2021/by Sean Stewart

Designing and Implementing Integrated Approaches to Population, Health and Environment (PHE): Training Materials

English Presentation, Training Material United States Agency for International Development Global Conservation, Implementation, Integration, Monitoring & Evaluation, Population, Project Design

USAID’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health supported the creation of a set of training materials for developing the capacity of field practitioners to design, implement and monitor integrated approaches to Population-Health-Environment (PHE). The materials aim to build country capacity to implement the steps and models outlined in the Integrating Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) Projects: A Programming Manual developed in 2007 (available in this resource). The training materials consist of the following: