What are K4Health Toolkits?

K4Health Toolkits are electronic collections of carefully selected information resources on a particular topic for health policy makers, program managers, program implementers, and service providers. They are based on a continuous publishing principle that allows them to evolve after publication to capture additional resources and to identify and fill remaining information gaps.

What is the purpose of this toolkit?

This toolkit seeks to share a collection of resources for working to meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of young married women (YMW) and first-time parents (FTPs) in low- and middle-income countries, recognizing that these groups have often been overlooked and underserved. The toolkit provides resources useful to a range of facility- and community-based interventions.

Who developed this toolkit?

This toolkit was developed under the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Momentum project by Pathfinder International, in partnership with the Pathfinder-led, USAID-funded Evidence to Action (E2A) Project. Under the Momentum project, Pathfinder seeks to share the learning and evidence from programs targeting first-time parents and young married with a variety of stakeholders, particularly those working in countries that have large populations of married youth, in order to increase the uptake and use of evidence to effectively increase contraception use among married adolescents, and enable countries to meet their FP2020 goals. The toolkit contained resources published by more than 20 organizations.

What kinds of resources are included in the toolkit and who are they for?

This toolkit is not a comprehensive collection of all resources related to FTPs and YMW, but rather a carefully selected package of materials to aid in program design, implementation, and improvement, as well as in advocacy efforts. For ease of use, the resources are organized as follows:

• Essential Knowledge & Evidence contains materials that could inform the design of an intervention targeting YMW and FTPs, as well as for use in advocacy efforts related to YMW and FTPs (e.g., literature reviews, foundational peer-reviewed articles).
• Implementation Experiences offers case studies, lessons learned, and data from interventions targeting FTPs and YMW, which could be used in intervention design or advocacy efforts.
• Training Resources offers a range of teaching and training materials for different groups working with YMW and FTPs, such as community health workers, facility providers, and peer support groups. These are best used during implementation for essential capacity building and quality improvement.
• Tools and Job Aids contains practical materials that aid in program implementation and support quality service delivery. These range from discussion guides, to facility assessment tools, to workbooks for the target populations.

How do I use this toolkit?

The resources in the toolkit are organized in four categories, found in the blue right-hand navigation bar. You can browse through the materials in each category, narrowing your search by date or author. You can also search using keywords in the “Search this Toolkit” search bar at the bottom of the blue right-hand navigation bar.

More about the toolkit developers

Pathfinder International is driven by the conviction that all people, regardless of where they live, have the right to decide whether and when to have children, to exist free from fear and stigma, and to lead the lives they choose. Since 1957, we have partnered with local governments, communities, and health systems to remove barriers to critical sexual and reproductive health services. Together, we expand access to contraception, promote healthy pregnancies, save women’s lives, and stop the spread of new HIV infections, wherever the need is most urgent.

The Evidence to Action Project (E2A) is USAID’s global flagship for strengthening family planning and reproductive health service delivery. The project aims to address the reproductive healthcare needs of girls, women, and underserved communities around the world by increasing support, building evidence, and facilitating the scale-up of best practices that improve family planning services. The project is led by Pathfinder International, in partnership with ExpandNet, IntraHealth International, Management Sciences for Health, and PATH. The project was awarded in September 2011 and will end in September 2019.