The CAPA Handbook: A "How-to" Guide for Implementing ... - basics

Abstract: This manual provides step-by-step guidelines as a “how-to” for implementing the CAPA
approach, and was developed for use by State Ministries of Health, program managers, technical staff,
and donor agencies involved in community-oriented approaches for child survival activities. Basic
Support for Institutionalizing Child Survival/Nigeria (BASICS II/N), in collaboration with Nigeria’s
federal and state governments, conceptualized and designed a community-based approach (CBA) called
Catchment Area Planning and Action (CAPA) to empower community members to take an active role in
improving the health of their children in areas of immunization, nutrition, and malaria. CAPA’s approach
places the locus of health program development at the community level with the intent of creating
community ownership, promoting public and private sector partnerships, and stimulating demand. The
approach is flexible enough for adoption by other development ministries and partners in Nigeria or by
other developing countries, and its adaptation and its use in other sectors and contexts are encouraged.
Recommended citation: BASICS II. The CAPA Handbook: A “How-To” Guide for Implementing Catchment
Area Planning and Action, a Community-Based Child Survival Approach. Arlington, Va.: BASICS II for the
United States Agency for International Development.
BASICS II is a global child survival project funded by the Office of Health and Nutrition of the Bureau for Global
Health of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). BASICS II is conducted by the Partnership for
Child Health Care, Inc., under contract no. HRN-C-00-99-00007-00. Partners are the Academy for Educational
Development, John Snow, Inc., and Management Sciences for Health. Subcontractors include Emory University,
The Johns Hopkins University, The Manoff Group, Inc., the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, Save
the Children Federation, Inc., and TSL.
This document does not necessarily represent the views or opinion of USAID. It may be reproduced if credit is
properly given.
U.S. Agency for International Development Basic Support for Institutionalizing Child Survival Project
Bureau for Global Health
Partnership for Child Health Care (PCHC), Inc.
Office of Health and Nutrition 1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300
Washington, DC Arlington, VA 22209
Website: www.usaid.gov/pop_health/ Tel: (703) 312-6800 / Fax: (703) 312-6900
Website: www.basics.org