Guide for Community Assessments on Women's Health Care - ICRW

Pulling It All Together – The Round Table
Introduction
Once the field reports from the different locations have been completed and the data across different
locations aggregated, you may want to organize a round table – a meeting of key groups who
participated in the <strong>Community</strong> Assessment process, e.g., the parliamentarians, representatives of the
HIV-positive women’s groups, civil society organizations and other key stakeholders.
The objectives of the Round Table would be to:
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Review and compare the findings from different sites.
Agree on priority health issues, gaps in services and barriers to women’s access to services.
Make recommendations on how to solve some of the problems raised.
In our experience, the Round Table provided an opportunity <strong>for</strong> MPs and other policy-makers to
listen further to the views of HIV-positive women, and then work with them to agree on priority
problems and the way <strong>for</strong>ward.
Having participated in the earlier workshops, the HIV-positive women were no longer shy in the
presence of the MPs and spoke out <strong>for</strong>cefully about their lives, issues and concerns. The status
differences were largely overcome and the different groups worked together as equals and with
mutual respect. By this stage, the MPs saw that the women have a powerful insight into local health
problems. These insights, in turn, could in<strong>for</strong>m their own work as MPs.
From the workshop, you can produce an initial list of targets and strategies <strong>for</strong> action. (See box below
<strong>for</strong> example.)
Next Steps to Improve Women’s Health in Communities
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Establish a working group of HIV-positive women to keep MPs briefed on HIV and health
issues, and encourage MPs to take up these issues in parliament.
MPs should distribute in<strong>for</strong>mation on health issues to their constituents, including
in<strong>for</strong>mation on pap smear testing.
MPs should become role models in publicly condemning gender-based violence.
Educate health workers on this issue and equip them with more skills in counseling
women on sexuality and pregnancy.
Strengthen family planning services – make a wider range of contraceptives available and
strengthen counseling on sexual and reproductive health.
Expand and improve pap smear and cervical cancer services, and educate HIV-positive
women on the benefits of pap smear testing.
Monitor the procedures used by the police in taking up cases of violence to ensure that
these cases are treated seriously.
Encourage men’s organizations to report cases of gender-based violence and educate
other men that it is unacceptable.
62 Chapter C: Facilitating <strong>Community</strong> Assessment Workshops