A gender equity and innovation fund in the Lao PDR is encouraging local initiatives that can address the gender and equity issues contributing to poor health in rural villages.
In the northern provinces of Phongsaly and Oudomxay, the fund has been enabling district health office and health center staff and village facilitators to teach people to help themselves when it comes to looking after their health. Techniques include holding reproductive health sessions with adolescents in the community, communicating public messages via village loudspeaker systems, mobilizing secondary teachers, women, youth and village groups, and increasing the frequency of maternal and child health outreach services.
In October 2022, the World Bank and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade held a joint mission with project and Ministry of Health staff, including from the Division for the Advancement of Women, to review the work’s progress. The mission found that despite implementation delays and challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gender and Equity Innovation Fund is drawing attention to critical gender and equity bottlenecks in rural health services. A health official from Khoua District in Phongsaly told the mission team that the funding has also helped local authorities focus attention on the gender and cultural norms underlying high rates of teenage pregnancy and early marriage among the ethnic Khmu and Akha populations.
The agencies involved are holding a workshop in December to review lessons from the first phase of implementation and identify the best ways to make further gains.
The Gender and Equity Innovation Fund is part of the government’s larger Health and Nutrition Services Access Project, supported by the World Bank together with Australia and the Global Fund. The project has been running since July 2020 to strengthen the Lao health system, improving the quality and coverage of service by providing funds to local health centers and departments.