Our past projects

Samasha is supporting Save the Children Apolou Activity by providing contextual information and guidance to producing a comprehensive, low-literacy set of integrated manuals for adolescent boys and girls in Karamoja. The Apolou activity is conducted in Kaabong, Kotido, Moroto and Amudat districts.

The assignment started in August 2018 and ended inApril 2019.

Samasha Medical Foundation entered into an agreement with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) to implement a project titled ‘Translating Global Commitments into Local Action: Development of a Regional Tracker for Africa’ in four countries (Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia).The overall goal of the project is to accelerate the fulfilment of the targeted number of fundamental commitments to the updated EWEC Global Strategy and Family Planning 2020.
The aim is to support countries meet their country-specific commitments using the Motion Tracker© Framework which leverages both the expertise and resources of national partners as well as those of the International community.Specific objectives of the project are;

  • Select country level partner in a new country (Nigeria) as local convener
  • Conduct high intensity, tailored training of two technical personnel from the four local convening organizations from Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.
  • Facilitate and oversee interpretation, data collection and analysis of country-specific commitments.
  • Support 3 stakeholder meetings in each of the four countries (Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia)
  • Quarterly Update of the Regional Motion Tracker (Online visual platform)
  • Conduct media outreach in each country
  • Document experience in TMT© replication, commitments tracking and lessons learned

The project started in July 2018 and runs until June 2019.

Samasha worked alongside PAI to provide technical assistance to advocates in six African countries (Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia Kenya, Nigeria) to
collect and report government allocations and expenditures on Family Planning using a harmonized set of indicators developed by consensus by participating countries.

In addition, Samasha developed advocacy strategies that focused on capacity building and support for the country civil society advocacy for increased government transparency and commitments for family planning and supplies.

This project started in july 2017,,,2019 lasted for 3 years.

Samasha was contracted by UNFPA to support Abim and Kotido districts to develop district Family Planning Costed Implementation Plan.

The assignment started in April 2018 and ended in August 2018.

Samasha with support from the New Venture Fund for Global Policy and advocacy project continues to support 3 selected countries (Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia) in meeting their commitments to FP2020 and EWEC Global Strategy (2016-2030).The aim of the project is to support countries meet their commitments through the Motion Tracker framework (TMT™) which leverages both the expertise and resources of national partners as well as those of the International community.

The project will be implemented using the SMF proprietary Motion Tracker framework in three East and South African countries (Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia). The Motion Tracker framework (TMT™) is a process aimed at ensuring universal understanding of commitments through purposeful concurrent stakeholder engagement.

The objectives of the project are;

  1. Facilitate and oversee the data collection and analysis of the country-specific commitments
  2. Support stakeholder engagements in each of the three countries
  3. Update the online visual platform (Regional Tracker) with country-specific updated Global Strategy and FP2020 commitments
  4. Conduct media outreach to amplify commitments at the country level
  5. This Project Started in October 2017 and is expected to last a period of 1 year.

With Support from the PAI Opportunity Fund, Samasha was identified to advocate for the Inclusion of Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives onto the Uganda Essential and Health Supplies (EHMS) Kit for HC IIIs.

This Project started in October 2017 and ended in April 2018.

Samasha Medical Foundation with support from RTI International developed a regional tracker for FP 2020 Commitments to track RMNCAH commitments hence leading to the development of an online motion tracker.

The aim of the project is to build capacity of local organizations in Tanzania and Zambia in the motion tracker framework and provide support to these organizations as they collect, analyze and develop a final report on data Analysis.

Some of the Specific Objectives of the Project are;

  1. To select country level partners to receive training in participatory methodology in Tanzania and Zambia
  2. Conduct high intensity, tailored training of technical personnel of two local Organisations from the two Countries
  3. Facilitate and oversee the collection and analysis of data on commitments in the two Countries
  4. Support the women’s leadership and accountability for the FP 2020 workshop in Uganda
  5. Hold three stakeholder meetings in Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia
  6. Conduct Media outreach in Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia
  7. Develop guide for Implementers to develop Motion Tracker in additional Countries
    This Project Started in August 2016 and ended in August 2017

Samasha was contracted by Hera to perform consultancy tasks on Institutional capacity building project in planning leadership and management in the Uganda Health Sector – West Nile and Rwenzori.

The project was from 30th 10 2017 to 23rd 12 2017

Samasha on hehalf of Engender Health carried out a project on Advocacy to Action in the Districts of Masaka and Hoima.

The project was aimed at accelerating voluntary uptake and use of contraceptives methods in the districts of Hoima and Masaka.

This was a 2 month assignment from July to August 2017

Samasha on Behalf of Marie Stopes International Uganda is carrying out an assessment of District Family Planning Days implemented by MSIU under the TFP project with the aim of assessing the performance of the campaign and identify key lessons learned for the current and future implementing strategies.

Objectives of the assignment were as follows;

  1. Assess the performance of MSIU implemented District Family Planning days
  2. Identify key lessons learnt from implementation of District Family Planning Days
  3. Undertake a cost-benefit analysis comparing District Family Planning Days and Mobile Outreaches as implemented by MSIU
  4. Identify and recommend immediate, medium-term and long-term programmatic and policy implications of implementing family planning days and increasing FP services access and delivery in Uganda.

This is a one-month assignment from January –February, 2017

Samasha Medical Foundation is supporting the Government of Uganda Ministry of Health’s (MoH) plan for the replacement of Implanon Classic with Implanon NXT following the manufacturer’s decision to completely phase out production of Implanon Classic in October 2015.  Uganda is a beneficiary from a volume-guaranteed price by more than 50% to $8.50 per Unit manufacturer Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) and as a result, the country has seen significant efforts in recent years to increase uptake of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), especially implants, through scaling up access, demand and trained health worker capacity.

The objectives of the transition plan include the following;

 The assignment is for a period of 12 months starting January, 2017- December, 2017

Archived Projects

Samasha supported Uganda Health Marketing Group (UHMG) in carrying out a rapid assessment of 300 Good Life Clinics (GLC) and quality of care improvement of UHMG programs.

Main tasks accomplished included;

    • Evaluation of GLC accomplishments through assessment and documentation of the strengths/weakness of the operations of the GLC and provision of a framework for quality services consolidation as private sector service providers to compliment public sector efforts.
    • Assessment and documentation of health product procurements, storage and inventory management with focus on the GLC level, as the centre of service delivery.
    • Assessment and documentation of community health service awareness, demand generation and linkages to GLC service provision.
    • Assessment and documentation of services quality assurance and improvement activities at GLC.
    • Assessment and documentation of the visibility of GLC branding, as a health service delivery network member.
    • Assessment and documentation of service delivery data management and sharing with district health offices
    • Assessment of the level of partnerships development of sustainable synergies in private health sector services development.
    • Documentation of best practices and identification of opportunities to improve sustainable service delivery for the private sector.

Findings were used to improve the quality of care of Good Life Clinics.

The project was implemented in 2013.

Samasha conducted a power mapping exercise on behalf of the National Newborn Steering Committee, Ministry of Health and Save the Children Newborn lives Program. The exercise aimed at identifying existing and potential partners, key influential and new champions for newborn health at national, regional and district levels.

Within the sphere of influence for newborn health, key priority actions were identified and recommendations made for achieving the desired impact of increased effective coverage of high impact newborn survival interventions in Uganda.

The mapping exercise informed the development of a targeted advocacy strategy for maternal and newborn health (policies, programs, implementation, funding).

The objectives of the national newborn power mapping and analysis were;

    • To map stakeholders and champions powers across the six WHO health system building blocks as they relate to the three main causes of newborn death (severe infections, prematurity and complications during birth including asphyxia).
    • To identify a game changer/case study power of influence for newborn health.
    • To use the scorecard methodology to assess the ‘champion-ness’ of individuals and organizations in newborn health.

The project started in September 2013 and ended in October 2013.

Samasha was contracted by PATH to undertake a 12 months project, to advocate for policy change to support the implementation of the RMNCH catalytic plan to achieve its desired goal of removing the bottlenecks to use and access to RMNCH commodities. The objective of the project was to engage the Director General Health services to approve inclusion of selected RMNCH commodities (Chlorhexidine, Antenatal Corticosteroids, Injectable Antibiotics and resuscitation devices) on;

    • The Essential Medicines and Health Supplies List (EMHSL) for use at HCIII, HCII and community level by midwives and nurses by March 2015
    • The Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) and Uganda Clinical Guidelines (UCG) for use by midwives and nurses by December 2015

The outcome of the RMNCH policy advocacy project was the development and approval of an addendum to the Essential Medicines and Health Supplies List (EMHSL) and the Uganda Clinical Guidelines (UCG) in June 2015 to include all the 13 life saving commodities. This was a result of combined effort from Ministry of health Pharmacy Division, Reproductive Health Division, Development Partners and Civil Society Organizations.

The project started in April 2014 and ended in March 2015.

The Ministry of Health with technical support from Samasha Medical Foundation developed an online RMNCH Resource tracking tool. RMNCH Resource tracking was a sub-activity of the cross cutting Ministry of Health Strengthening Activity 3.3.4 of the UNCoLSC Implementation plan. The development process included RMNCH resource mapping, review and adaptation of the East Africa Community (EAC) RMNCH Resource tracking tool that had been piloted in Tanzania and Burundi in 2014. A demonstration exercise was conducted to assess the usability, suitability and feasibility of the RMNCH resource tracking tool that had been developed. Based on the results, modifications were made and data collected.

The RMNCH resource tracking tool is a web-based tool used to collect, store, auto analyze data for the allocated and expended financial resources by the various RMNCH partners including government, donors, development partners, implementing partners, Private Not for Profit (PNFP) and Private For Profit (PFP) sector. The RMNCH resource tracking tool currently captures data on RMNCH expenditure by source and RMNCH Expenditure per capita. In addition the tool has been enhanced to capture RMNCH allocations and expenditures by district and projects.

Key features of the RMNCH Resource tracking tool;

  1. Dashboard showing the number of organizations, number of projects, RMNCH Allocation per Capita and RMNCH Expenditures
  2. Individual organizational background information
  3. Detailed Individual Project Description
  4. RMNCH Activity areas (Family Planning, Maternal and Newborn Health, Child Health, Cross- cutting RMNCH, Reproductive health)
  5. Geographical allocation and expenditures by district
  6. Budget support by Source
  7. Categorization of Budget Expenditures (18 categories) – Communication and Advocacy; Conferences and Workshop; Direct Budget Support; Drugs and Food supplies; Medical Equipment; Non-medical equipment; Overhead/General Administration costs; Procurement and supply management; Programs buildings/ Infrastructure/Renovation; Research and M& E; Salaries and Benefits Government personnel; Salaries and Benefits Non-government health workers; Technical assistance External consultants; Technical assistance In-country consultants; Trainings; Travel costs domestic; Travel costs International; Others)
  8. Generates reports (RMNCH Expenditure by Source; RMNCH Expenditure per Capita; RMNCH Allocations by Source)

Achievements of using the RMNCH Resource Tracking Tool;

  1. The RMNCH Resource tracking tool has reduced the need for development of data collection tools, recruitment of data collectors, data collection and analysis. This implies that information on RMNCH allocations and expenditures is received in real time with minimum effort from the Organisations.
  2. The RMNCH resource tracking tool has facilitated the RMNCH partner mapping as regards RMNCH projects, areas of focus and geographical distribution in Uganda.
  3. The biggest achievement of the RMNCH Resource tracking tool is that for the first time, statistics on RMNCH expenditure per capita and by source is being captured in Uganda. Hopefully, with cooperation of RMNCH partners, this data will be updated and available every 6 months as recommended by the Commission on Information and Accountability (CoIA).

Screen shots of the RMNCH Resource Tracking Tool;

Capture1 Capture2 Capture3

Website Source: www.rmnch.samasha.org

The project started in October 2014 and ended in March 2015.

Samasha coordinated a pilot study in collaboration with Microsoft, Akeso Associates a global health consulting firm based in Seattle, Washington, USA and The Mulago National Teaching and Referral hospital.

After identifying that some of the most basic but very critical routine monitoring indicators for patients in a hospital setting are the vital signs such as temperature and pulse,

The purpose of the study was to compare vital signs taken using standard clinical methods with those taken by a consumer fitness device the Multi-Modality Wristband (MMWB) to determine associations with blood pressure, respiration and oxygen saturation. In addition the study was intended to provide formative information about how such studies might be conducted in the future.

A descriptive study of a convenience sample of 57 patients on the medical ward at Mulago National Referral and Teaching Hospital in Kampala, Uganda was conducted. Patients who volunteered to participate wore a fitness wrist-band device during their hospital stay. Study staff collected vital signs using standard approaches. The data were recorded and compared with the readings from the fitness wrist-band device.

It was discovered that a rapid technology test can be successful at a hospital in a resource limited setting. Health care settings in Sub-Saharan Africa will increasingly get involved and adapt rapid technology innovations that could be utilized in early detection of disease outbreaks and management of cases. Technology innovation studies are conducted in a different manner than standard health research projects and require rapid scale up and quick results. The lessons learned from Mulago National Referral Hospital’s work on this project can benefit future studies of this type in similar settings.

wrist

Wrist Band

The project started in November 2014 and ended in December 2014.

Led by the Ministry of Health with support from partners, the Uganda government developed an RMNCH catalytic plan that arguments or builds on existing programs and strategies. This was intended to ensure a coordinated approach with EWEC initiatives and other related RMNCH plans. The plan prioritized commodities and recommendations based on country-specific evidence, programs and opportunities. These plans were costed and in 2013 the commodities commission provided one year catalytic grant to implement an initial year of activities.

The plan identifies insufficient access and use of injectable antibiotics and lack of appropriate products and formulations for neonates at health facility levels where first contact of a neonate with sepsis is most likely (HCII & HC III)

With support from Save the Children and the Ministry of Health, Samasha Medical Foundation conducted a landscaping analysis of injectable antibiotics for treatment of possible severe bacterial infection/neonatal sepsis with a focus on demand and supply-side bottlenecks.

The main tasks undertaken were;

      • Assessment of the national policy and regulatory environment plus financing strategies around the procurement and use of antibiotics for the treatment of neonatal sepsis. Cost-recovery schemes, national procurement budget allocations, and the impact of diverse financing strategies would be studied more thoroughly.
      • Undertaking of a rapid situational assessment to gather country-specific data on the status, availability, use, and related barriers to use of gentamicin and amoxicillin. Other antibiotics for sepsis management including ampicillin, procaine benzylpenicillin, and ceftriaxone at various levels of health care delivery were also reviewed, but not as in the same level of detail like Gentamicin and Amoxicillin at first levels of health care delivery. Samasha also examined the availability and stock outs, determined how forecasting and resupply (push or pull system) work or don’t work and identified the functionality of tracking / monitoring the Logistics Management Information System (LMIS).
      • Review of records and analysis of suppliers for availability of ampicillin, procaine benzylpenicillin, gentamicin, and ceftriaxone products in Uganda.
      • Engagement with end-users to determine the most feasible and acceptable presentation and delivery of gentamicin and amoxicillin for treatment of newborn sepsis.

This was a nationwide assessment covering all the 10 regions as demarcated by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). One health sub-district was randomly selected from each of the regions. From each health sub-district, one Health Centre IV and two lower level health facilities (HC III and HC II) were randomly selected. Wherever available, one private for-profit and one private not-for-profit health facility were also selected, based on convenience of physical access. In case the district had a district hospital, it was purposefully selected. The assessment thus covered 40 public health facilities, 14 private for profit health facilities and 10 private not for profit health facilities. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and focus group discussions were held with health providers at health facilities where the minimum number of staff was at least five. National level key informant interviews were also conducted.

Findings indicated that;

      • At National level, there are policy restrictions to prescription of injectable antibiotics to neonates by nurses, but the policy allows nurses to administer injectable antibiotics once a prescription has been made by a clinical officer or medical doctor. There is no specific quantification for Gentamicin and dispersible Amoxicillin for treatment of neonatal sepsis at NMS and MOH QPPU. The quantifications carried out for iCCM for treatment of Pneumonia address children above 2 months. All the warehousing and distribution agencies surveyed had adequate stock of Gentamicin and Amoxicillin; however, a limited number had dispersible Amoxicillin.
      • At health facility level, there were stock outs which contributed to low use of Gentamicin and Amoxicillin, with 42% of health workers reporting use of Gentamicin and 42% using dispersible amoxicillin to treat neonatal sepsis. The majority of health workers (80%) expressed the need for simplified regimens for treatment of neonatal sepsis. The major bottleneck to use of injectable Gentamicin was the packaging. It was found that Gentamicin ampoule is very difficult to open often leading to injuries to health workers and that there was a lot of wastage when administering the injectable to neonates because neonates require small doses of the medicine and the current available packaging is 40mg/ml.

It was recommended that the policy on prescription and administration of injectable Gentamicin be reviewed to allow task sharing by nurses and midwives to diagnose and treat neonatal sepsis when adequately trained and facilitated and the current packaging for Gentamicin changed so that the vials made easier to open. Health workers should be trained on how to differentiate neonatal tetanus from neonatal sepsis. A national forecast and quantification for injectable Gentamicin and dispersible Amoxicillin should be carried out to determine the quantities required and budget implications for advocacy. We recommend that a study be commissioned to determine the feasibility of outpatient neonatal sepsis management even at lower level health facilities using simplified regimens. Smaller ampoules of Gentamicin should be produced and made easier to break during administration of the medicine.

The project started in January 2015 and ended in February 2015

The national Comprehensive Condom Programming (CCP) Strategy (2013-2015) was developed by Ministry of Health (MoH) to reduce the number of unprotected sex acts, and ultimately the incidence of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. This evaluation was conducted to determine the successes and gaps in the implementation of the National Condom Strategy to inform the design and implementation of the subsequent CCP strategy.

This study was implemented by a team of consultants led by Dr. Justine Bukenya and Dr. Moses Muwonge. The study was funded by the Global Fund Grant to the Ministry of Health.

The specific objectives of the study were to;

  1. Assess the leadership and coordination of the CCP
  2. Examine the condom supply chain system and commodity security
  3. Investigate the demand generation
  4. Access and utilization of both male and female condoms
  5. Assess the support system (advocacy, capacity building, research and M&E) for the CCP

A cross sectional study design using both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods was used. One district was selected in each of the 10 clusters based on the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) regions. Interviews were conducted with 594 condom outlets managers, and 563 clients. The UNFPA CCP evaluation tool was used to assess the national program to capture data on leadership and coordination, supply and commodity security and support systems.

Twenty key informant interviews were conducted, with the district condom focal persons or district health officers in the selected districts and partners at the national level. In addition, twelve focus group discussions were held with different groups of most-at-risk populations (MARPS) and special populations in Kampala district. Further, a literature review of relevant national documents and studies was performed. Makerere University School of Public Health Higher Degrees Research and Ethics Committee and the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology approved the study. Quantitative data was analyzed using Stat/SE 12 while the qualitative data was analyzed using ATLAS-ti Software.

In October 2014, Samasha was contracted by Ministry of Health to develop an RMNCH resource tracking tool. Samasha developed on online web –based RMNCH tracking tool that will collect resource information as required by the UN Commission on accountability and Information (CoIA). The tool was launched in March 2015 and plans are underway to institutionalise it within the MoH so that all partners regularly update it with information on resources allocation and expenditure. The EAC open Health initiative supported a national stakeholder workshop to disseminate the tool.

However, there is no Reproductive Health (RH) supplies resource tracking online tool in Uganda that captures data beyond procurement. The current RH interchange system only captures data on procurement from development partners and international NGOs

Before the institutionalisation of the tool at the Uganda MOH and adoption of the tool by EAC Open Health Initiative. Samasha is strategically positioned to include onto the tool an RH supplies module that would help capture all the RH supplies allocations by governments, donor agencies, bilateral organisations and civil society organisations/NGO,s. The tool has been designed to feed into the National Health Accounts of countries.

The project will be implemented in three phases;

  • Phase (1) will include advocacy efforts with Ministry of Health Assistant commissioner planning (Mr. Tom Aliti) to permit inclusion of the RH supplies resource tracking Module on the RMNCH resource tracking online tool.
  • Phase (2) will include hiring an IT person to design and add the RH supplies module and piloting it with one organisation.
  • Phase (3) will involve pre-testing the tool by inputting the available RH supplies resource data from NMS then finally data collection from other various partners to populate the tool.

Expected outcomes;

  1. This grant will help entrench RH budget resource tracking in Uganda and the East African Community through the EAC Open Health Initiative whose purpose is to improve the health of women and children. The Open Health Initiative will be accomplished by focusing on three broad themes: Accountability for Results and Resources, Results-Based Financing, and Innovation for Improved Health Outcomes.
  2. At country level, this piece of work will contribute to achievement of the FP2020 Uganda commitment to consistently allocate and expend $5 million US per year for the next five years.
  3. This work will contribute to the UN commission on accountability and Information on RMNCH resources. Uganda has developed an online RMNCH resource tracking tool that will be collecting information on resources allocation and expenditure. The RMNCH resource tracking tool is being institutionalized at the MOH resource centre.
  4. Uganda has developed a CIP for FP and efforts are ongoing for mobilization of resources for implementation of the CIP. This work will support tracking of resources planed for implementation of the CIP and actual expenditure in real time.

This project started in July 2015 and is still ongoing.

Samasha Medical Foundation is undertaking a capacity building exercise for selected CSO’s in Uganda on contraceptive budget tracking and advocacy using the “11 step guide to Contraceptive Budget Tracking” .

The project is supported by DSW Uganda country office. A total of 21 organizations attended a one-day orientation and are undergoing a three months on job mentorship.

The project started in September 2015 .

The commitments Initiative is a country-driven approach which aims to accelerate progress towards RH commodity security by taking a limited number of fundamental RH supplies-related commitments as the entry point for the targeted joint technical action at the country level. By doing so, we secure legitimacy and buy-in for targeted action in specific technical areas drawing on the convening power and brain trust of the Coalition at both the global and country level.

The goal of this Project is to support the Government of Uganda (GoU) and national partners to accelerate progress toward meeting Uganda’s RH supplies-related commitments to Every Woman Every Child- EWEC (2011), London Family Planning Conference –FP 2020 (2012) and the UN Commission on Life Saving Commodities- UNCoLSC (2013) as a model for other countries.

This project started in January 2014 with the aim to support the government of Uganda meet its Reproductive Health supplies commitments through a partnership model to leverage the expertise and resources of national partners as well as those of the international community (donors, private sector, civil society and international organizations) on the selected three initiatives; FP2020, EWEC and the UNCoLSC.

Samasha Medical Foundation together with Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) developed a Commitments Compendium. The Compendium is a compilation of explicit and implicit statements from the Commitments made. Based on the Compendium, the commitments were deconstructed into implementable activities that can be monitored. The Commitments Compendium and deconstructed commitments were presented at a stakeholder meeting in April 2014 for validation and ownership. The Indicators developed from the deconstructed commitments led to the development of the MOTION TRACKER.

The MOTION TRACKER was developed to serve as a framework to highlight Uganda’s progress towards achievement of its RH supplies related commitments made from 2011. The MOTION TRACKER graphically illustrates commitments that have been achieved, commitments that are being implemented and commitments that are not being implemented. The motion tracker website can be viewed through (www.ugandarhpromises.org)

Objectives of the motion tracker;

  1. To generate consensus amongst different stakeholders on what needs to be done to achieve the commitments
  2. To serve as a framework to guide implementation activities among different stakeholders

To showcase and celebrate progress in Uganda’s achievement of the indicators and ultimately the commitments

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Samasha was contracted by Marie Stopes International Uganda to carry out a Long-term Family Planning (LTFP) Bridge activity meant to provide measurable improvement in access to affordable Family Planning (FP) services and a wide range of Contraceptive Methods, including Long Acting reversible Contraceptives (LARCS) and Permanent Methods (PMs) at Health facilities and community levels. This was done to address gaps in service provision and help to meet the current demand for contraception, access to high quality FP services to those most in need especially Vulnerable women and men in rural and disadvantaged communities, young people and those living in poverty with financial and social barriers to accessing services.

The Long Term Family Planning Bridge Activity used vouchers to target valuable subsidies to the most vulnerable populations, reducing unmet need amongst the lowest wealth quintiles and in this, a number of Private health facilities (HFs) ranging from HC II’s to Hospital Level in the districts/regions of Northern, Central, Eastern and Western Uganda were visited and worked with 220 BlueStar providers that meet the highest quality standards, supporting them with mentoring and supporting supervision.

The objectives of the LTFP Bridge Activity project were;

  1. To gather costing data from a sample of different types of Family Planning service providers, to contribute to costing analysis through which the reimbursement prices of vouchers for contracted service providers would be revised.
  2. To document existing fees charged for a list of service packages (Family Planning:-Short-term; pills, Depo, Condoms. Long-term: Implant, IUD. Permanent: (Tuba ligation, Vasectomy), Syndromic STI Management , Human Chorionic Gonadotropin(HCG) test, HIV Test, High Vaginal Swab (HVS) Test offered within the sample of private health facilities.

It was a 1 month project Commenced in April and ended in May 2016.

Samasha Medical Foundation was identified by DSW as a strategic partner in implementing the Securing Health through Advocacy and Peoples Empowerment (SHAPE) Project at National level in four Districts of Uganda namely; Tororo, Kamuli, Mukono and Mityana.

The aim of the project was to ensure;

  1. Increased funding from national and sub-national governments in Uganda to address the unmet need for FP 2018
  2. Improved implementation of national and sub-national FP funding to address the unmet need in Uganda by 2018
  3. Improved resource mobilization in support of FP programmes among CSOs in Uganda by 2018

Samasha had the following roles and responsibility as per the teaming agreement;

  1. Reviewed the budget methodology and tools to meet the project Objectives but also to capture the new emerging issues on Family Planning. These tools included: Facility assessment tool, Budget data collection and Focus group Discussion tools.
  2. Developed a new tool/ methodology for FP commodity tracking
  3. Supported the formation of the FP Budget Advocacy Group
  4. Conducted budget analysis and advocacy trainings for the FP Budget Advocacy Group
  5. Provided On-Job and coaching on FP Budget tracking to members of the FP budget and advocacy group
  6. Supported the FP budget Advocacy Group to participate and engage on the Uganda Budget process and policy to influence FP prioritization and resources

This was a 6 months project that commenced April 2015 and ended in September 2015.

Samasha was contracted by Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) to assess the Uganda Family Planning Costed Implementation Plan, 2015-2020 (FP-CIP) priorities in line with the FP policy commitments and also assess the implementation of the Adolescent Health Policy Guidelines and Service Standards.

The Objectives of the assessment were;

  1. Analyze the Health sector Budgets for FY 2012/13 – FY 2015-16 and assess how SRHR including FP has been financed over the years.
  2. Assess the implementation of the Adolescent Health Policy Guidelines and Service Standards basing on the provisions of the National Adolescent Health Strategy.
  3. Identify and analyze the FP funding gap in the CIP thematic areas i.e. demand creation, service delivery, contraceptive commodity security, policy engagement, financing and stewardship and accountability for the period 2015-2020.
  4. Reveal the bottlenecks to SRHR including FP financing and implementation of FP commitments
  5. Reveal the implementation gaps of the Adolescent gaps of the Adolescent Health Policy Guidelines and service standards hindering the provision of adolescent sexual reproductive services in Uganda.
  6. Suggest key budget advocacy issues for increased financing for SRH including FP that FOWODE can maximize to hold government accountable
  7. Propose policy recommendations for effective SRH including FP financing that will improve access to ASRH and FP services in Uganda
  8. Develop report and an advocacy issue brief for the assessment conducted

This was a 1 month project that commenced and ended in December, 2015.

Samasha in collaboration with the Ministry of Health spearheaded the countrywide distribution of 269,200 vials of Noristerat and 284,800 Norigynon Injectables of the 1,686,794 vials of Noristerat and 1,026,536 Norigynon that had been stuck with UHMG for 2years and risked Expiry/wastage thence increased access and method mix.

At the end of the exercise, 1350 Health workers had been trained 550 from Public facilities and 489 Private health facilities in 32 districts.

The Objectives of the orientation exercise was;

  1. To distribute Noristerat and Norigynon vials to the public and private health facilities
  2. To orient Family planning service providers in both government and private facilities on the use of Noristerat and Norigynon in all the 112 districts of Uganda.
  3.  To introduce to Health workers new Injectable contraceptives i.e. Norigynon and Noristerat plus updating them on already existing family planning methods.

The assignment was carried out in November-December 2015

The Health Systems for Advocacy Partnership (HSAP) was implemented by Amref Health Africa, the African Centre for Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST) and Health Action International represented by HEPS Uganda and Samasha was contracted to establish a bench mark for performance measurement of the project consortium to implement, monitor and build capacity for communities involved to realize their rights to the highest attainable level of sexual and reproductive health.

The project had the following Objectives;

  1. To determine the level of capacities for joint planning, advocacy and research on HSS across the HSA Partnership
  2. To determine the level of capacities for capacity building across the HSA Partnership
  3. To assess the level of capacity of local partner civil society organisations (CSOs) active in health sector for planning and conducting advocacy activities
  4. To assess the quality of the enabling environment for knowledge use, and
  5. To assess the level and quality of support for HSS and related issues among national or local-level policy-makers

This was a 2 months project that commenced October 2016 and ended in November 2016

Samasha Medical Foundation was contracted by Marie Stopes Uganda to review and update the Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Standards and Guidelines, 2012 which was a consultative and participatory review process coordinated by Ministry of Health/Reproductive Health division with support and involvement of development partners, civil society organizations and private sector.

The following were the Objectives of the assignment;

  1. Review the current SRH guidelines in lieu of the current high Impact practices
  2. Review the level of implementation of the current guidelines and document lessons learned including level of discrimination
  3. Assess the level of Understanding/Knowledge/recall of the current guidelines by the health workers
  4. Based on the findings, update the current SRHR guidelines

The assignment was carried out from August-December 2016.

SMF was contracted by Engender Health to develop a Uganda National Implementation Plan for long acting reversible contraception (LARC) and permanent methods (PM) (LARC/PM). Long acting reversible contraception (LARC) and permanent methods (PM) afford numerous benefits to individuals and health care systems. These methods are highly effective and safe; they are suitable for use by all categories of clients, for a variety of RH intentions (e.g. delaying, spacing or limiting); and, over time, they are very cost-effective. LARC/PM reduces demands on health care systems, does not require continual resupply, and have much lower discontinuation rates than short-acting methods. Despite the distinct advantages of LARC/PM, their availability and use are low in Uganda.

The purpose of the national LARC/PM implementation Plan is to articulate stakeholders’ inputs and responsibilities what needs to be done by all stakeholders in support of Ugandans’ right to access information and services and choose quality contraception if they desire, including the long-acting and permanent methods (LARC/PM).

The assignment was carried out between October-December 2016