Projects
Health Systems
Strengthening health services delivery in Malawi
The health system in Malawi consists of three tiers linked by a referral system. Health services are delivered through a network of public and non-governmental organisations.
Despite progress, there are still significant gaps, particularly due to inadequate investment in all areas of the health system. The National Health Strategy 2022-2030 therefore primarily envisages interventions in infrastructure as well as a coordinated package of reforms to make the health system more efficient at all levels.
GIZ supports this process primarily by improving access to high-quality basic reproductive health services.
Susanne Schardt is supporting GIZ in designing the next phase of the programme.
Support to Ukraine
Harm Reduction
Improving harm reduction services in Thailand
In Thailand, harm reduction services are financed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), although politically, the concept of harm reduction is still relatively new to the country. Currently, not all the possibilities of low-threshold drug help are used ans implemented for the benfit of the diverse target gorups.
Patricia Kramarz and Susanne Schardt have been supporting the Principal Recipient Raks Thai Foundation and other non-governmental organisations since 2017 in a process to improve their performance and effectiveness.
Based on situation and needs analyses, trainings and consultations are conducted together with experts from Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe and the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences in order to improve addiction support in the different regions of the country and to network more closely with other service providers.
Sexual Rights
Strengthening girls' rights in Zambia
Zambia has a comparatively young population: about 35% of the population are young people between the ages of 15 and 24. Young people in Zambia are often unaware of appropriate safeguards against unwanted early pregnancies and STIs or HIV - or of their sexual and reproductive rights. HIV prevalence among them is high and both teenage pregnancies and child marriages are not uncommon.
At the same time, however, comprehensive sexuality education has not yet been introduced in Zambia, and both teachers and health services find it difficult to provide youth-friendly knowledge and counselling.
GIZ began introducing youth-friendly methods of sexuality education and HIV prevention in Zambia years ago. In the context of decentralisation, these must now also be efficiently planned, budgeted and implemented at community and district level.
Susanne Schardt participated in an appriasal mission for the project and advised GIZ on the preparation of proposals. She also supports the ongoing project in reporting and monitoring.
Cooperation
Improving bi- and multilateral cooperation in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights
BMZ supports SRHR through both bilateral and multilateral cooperation. However, cooperation at country level is often limited to information exchange, for example in government-led health sector working groups or donor coordination groups.
On behalf of the BMZ, the GIZ Sector Initiative on Population Dynamics, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights initiated a study to analyse potentials for cooperation between German bilateral SRHR programmes and multilateral programmes in this field. Concrete inputs were collected from the German development cooperation projects in Malawi and Cameroon.
Susanne Schardt conducted this study together with local experts from Cameroon and Malawi.
Project Management
Seminar at the Colegio de San Louis Potosi, Mexico
Our team member Birgit Stanzel has developed a block seminar in Spanish for the Colegio de San Louis Potosi in Mexico, consisting of three course modules of five hours each.
It is based on the theory that every project is a recurring sequence of actions that build on each other - and thus a process of change.
The seminar first introduces models of participatory and creative project development and project management. At the same time, methods and instruments are discussed that can facilitate planning and management processes. Each module builds on the learning processes and jointly developed results of the previous modules.
Here, own project ideas are developed and jointly evaluated.
Although the methods taught are equally applicable to personal, professional, commercial and social projects, Birgit Stanzel places a special emphasis on projects that promote social cohesion and participation.