The TOPICs project has been underway since late 2017 in Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burkina Faso. It seeks to test technologies, obtain the opinions of residents and healthcare providers and thereby build evidence bases designed to guide government decision-making. This project, financed by Canada, has teamed with local NGOs in each of the three countries in which it has been deployed. In March 2021, Global Affairs Canada announced TOPICs’ one-year extension through March 2022.
This extension will be used to evaluate the project and lock in its long-term benefits by sharing and using the data acquired with the decision-markers and the public institutions concerned. Rigorous assessment of the results of the project and technologies employed will serve in assessing their potential for sustainable implementation on a broader scale, and for other healthcare system needs, in each of the three nations.
These appraisals, which have already begun, will consider the project’s overall impact, along with its shortcomings and opportunities to ensure long-term results on all levels. They examine the different technologies employed by the project, the coordination of activities and technical implementation of initiatives. These appraisals involve different qualitative surveys of healthcare/social workers, partners and other stakeholders. The partners highlighted to project’s contributions during this process and underscore opportunities to improve their practices in the future.
“Based on our qualitative evaluation, it is clear that telephone operators must have the skills necessary to set up the Green Number. We lost a lot of time getting this number working. The evaluation also pointed out our failures, so we will soon be able to make better choices.”—Ms. Marie Nyombo Zaina, National Coordinator, RENADEF (National network of NGOs working for women’s development), Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“In addition to meeting the project’s goals, this assessment is concerned with use of the project’s results by third parties and their involvement in the knowledge-transfer process, fostering ownership of the results. AGIR has also already used this strategy in rolling out other projects”—Abdramane Sow, National Coordinator, TOPICs Project, Action, Governance, Integration, Reinforcement (AGIR) NGO, Burkina Faso.
“The appraisal process included many exchanges and professional training situations with teams from other countries on communication strategies for meeting project goals. This permitted the sharing of best practices, as well as understanding issues and planning solutions to new problems.”—Caridad Paméla Comlanvi, Communications Officer, Centre de Recherche en Reproduction Humaine et en Démographie (CERRHUD), Benin.
“Participating in this appraisal improved my qualitative evaluation skills and know helps me pursue project goals more effectively. It was also inspirational for my organization, which can consider this approach for future projects.” Déogratias Busangu, Social Integration Activity Promotor, RENADEF, DRC.
About the TOPICs Project:
Coordinated by the Unité de santé internationale (USI), in partnership with the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), the TOPICs Project in Benin, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It has been deployed in conjunction with the local NGOs AGIR (Burkina Faso), CERRHUD (Benin) and RENADEF (DRC). It is supported by Équipe RENARD, Bluesquare, AfricaSys, digiCONTACTS, Je Donne Mon Avis, and produced in conjunction with the ministries of health of each of the countries concerned.
The TOPICs Project has been carried out with the financial support of the Government of Canada granted through Global Affairs Canada.
For more information, please visit the project’s site.