Entitlement Index brief concept

Entitlement Index brief concept

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  Ensuring Universal Accessthrough Entitlement Index: The IPPF SARO Experience Dr. Ataur Rahman June 2010 Context: Ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services and information is a key priority of IPPF. For many reasons, poverty has been seen as the most critical factor for people not receiving information and services. Based on its experience on the ground, IPPF South Asia Regional Office (IPPF SARO) felt the need to define poverty as a multi-dimensional concept, and not limit the parameters to income/consumption and ability to earn. It has been widely assumed among development practitioners that social capital plays a critical role in reducing material deprivation (traditionally measured by income and consumption levels), vulnerability, powerlessness, and ‘voicelessness’. Therefore, SARO has developed a tool based on a broad conceptual frame, known as ‘Entitlement Index’. Conceptual Framework: The entitlement ranking analytical framework (Figure 1) draws on previous work on poverty and livelihoods, particularly by Amartya Sen. According to this framework, resources available to households are seen as ‘inputs’, and how these resources are exchanged to meet the needs of the household members to be in a state of well-being, are seen as ‘outputs’. The ‘resource profile’ of households includes: - Material resource (e.g. income and assets), - Human resources (e.g. skills, education and health), - Social resources (e.g participation in social organization, access to loan in crisis) - Cultural resources (e.g women empowerment, mobility ) - Ability to exercise freedom and choice and common property resources. The Entitlement Index Conceptual model Reduction of morbidity Commodityo Social o Cultural No PrematureServiceo Common property mortalityo Freedom/Choice Mentalo Human PhysicalMoneyo Material State of Well-being Converted into Resources of households
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  The IPPF SAROexperience: IPPF SARO began by converting the conceptual framework into a questionnaire format, based on each of the five household-level resources. This was followed by a pre-testing in 90 households that were located in urban and rural settings in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. The pre-testing involved an initial interview using a structure questionnaire, in order to rank the household as: ‘deprived’ and ‘not deprived’. The data was then validated with an in-depth interview at household level, which also facilitated refining of the tool to the local/country context. Key findings of the first round of pre-testing were then shared with programme staff from IPPF MAs in the region, namely: India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Maldives, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka .As a next step, all eight MAs developed tools based on the conceptual framework that took into account their country context. These tools were then applied to 120 households in each of the eight countries, with technical support from IPPF SARO. Characteristics of one household Pre tested Household apparently looks poor ranked as not deprived •No restriction of movement for female member •Perceived herself to be at risk of contracting HIV/STI •Did not think that providing SRH information to adolescents could promote their sexual activity •Takes decision jointly IPPF SARO then organized a regional-level meeting that provided for a platform to share country-specific issues and experiences relating to the use of this tool in the region. Based on technical inputs from IPPF SARO, these tools have now been finalized in each of the eight countries, with each of the countries having mainstreamed the use of this tool in their programmes.