PRINCIPLES OF ACTION 1
ACTING WITHOUT SUBSTITUTING
In keeping with the principle of non-substitution, we focus our efforts on supporting local organisations and stakeholders by developing their skills and the way they operate, in order to promote their autonomy and the sustainability of our interventions.
PRINCIPLES OF ACTION 2
AS LOCAL AS POSSIBLE
As international as necessary, we align our action with national strategies and policies and support our partners based on the needs they express.
Our action framework
Solthis leverages the expertise of its teams and a partnership-based approach to develop impactful projects. These projects provide integrated and sustainable solutions that align with the needs of the populations and are built in collaboration with all the stakeholders concerned. Our intervention framework is centered around three key axes: a multiplier impact approach, a partnership approach at the centre of projects and a health promotion approach to strengthen health systems and community health.
SCALING IMPACT
Our approach relies on three modes of intervention: capacity building and empowerment, operational research, and advocacy. This strategy supports the transition to national partners and ensures the sustainability of our interventions. When appropriate, it also facilitates scaling up at the national level or within broader international health policies.
Our interventions are integrated into existing health systems and community actions from the start. Through knowledge production, capacity building, and advocacy, we create the conditions necessary for transitioning or scaling up our interventions. This is achieved by integrating them into national strategies and policies, allowing for their extension beyond the project’s initial scope, both in time (sustainability) and space (geographical reach), to maximize impact on targeted populations.
This approach allows us to uphold our principle of ‘non-substitution’ in all our actions.
→PARTNERSHIPS AT THE CENTRE OF PROJECTS
Solthis relies on the legitimacy of national and local actors to define and implement national health strategies. Our strategy is built on close partnerships with various national institutions, academic partners, research institutes, health facilities, and health personnel.
In line with the localization of aid and the principle of ‘as local as possible, as international as necessary,’* we aim to enhance the role of actors closest to the action. We do this by working in a non-substitutive manner, aligning our efforts with national strategies and policies, and supporting our partners based on their expressed needs.
Our partnership approach with civil society organizations (CSOs) has been strengthened in recent years. We aim to support CSOs in their structural reinforcement, from enhancing technical expertise to securing direct funding. This includes building capacity in operational research, monitoring and evaluation, and administrative and financial management.
Additionally, our partnership approach seeks to forge more advocacy alliances with associative and research partners, both at the country level and globally.
* Istanbul Humanitarian Summit, UNSG 2016.
→HEALTH PROMOTION
Solthis’ intervention strategy aims to promote equitable access to healthcare for all. We achieve this through greater citizen involvement and mechanisms that enhance the accountability of the healthcare system to its users. Our efforts span multiple levels: individuals, communities, healthcare systems and services, and enabling environments.
Our approach to health promotion is participatory and inclusive. It is based on the needs identified by populations and health actors, considering health determinants to reduce inequalities. This strategy allows us to continue strengthening the capacities of health systems and services, both public and community-based. We leverage our expertise to address key determinants such as gender, empowerment, and psychosocial dimensions.
→
OUR METHODS OF INTERVENTION
Our interventions are thoughtfully designed from the outset to integrate into health systems and community actions. This process involves a detailed analysis of priority needs and ensures that our efforts complement existing initiatives. Our approach is supported by national actors, including institutions, health services, and communities.
By focusing on partnerships with front-line actors, we foster better ownership and sustainability of our interventions.
CAPACITY BUILDING AND EMPOWERMENT
A partnership approach that strengthens the capacity of national actors to act and avoids any substitution.
True to the principle of non-substitution, Solthis’s action is based on supporting local structures and actors, developing their skills and their functioning, in order to promote their autonomy and the sustainability of interventions.
3 levels of capacity building:
- individual (patients and users; healthcare workers; community actors and civil society; institutional actors and managers)
- organisational (infrastructures and equipment)
- national (political and institutional).
4 types of support:
- Strengthening of skills and individual empowerment
- Counsel on organisation and organisational empowerment
- Material support
- Counsel and expertise for decision-makers, advocacy, technical assistance.
OPERATIONAL RESEARCH
An approach based on the production of knowledge to improve interventions:
- We produce a continuum of knowledge derived from field experience, ranging from the use of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) data and evidence-based data, to the scientific data from our projects.
- Our research work is supported by international academic partnerships in the countries where we operate and with the support of our scientific committee.
- We take a multidisciplinary (epidemiological, medical, sociological, anthropological, economic, political) and participatory approach to strengthen knowledge sharing and the co-construction of interventions with all the stakholders concerned (academics, politicians, the population) in order to improve the quality of our interventions.
- Capitalizing on the data and results of our projects promotes informed decision-making by institutions and target populations. This is achieved through knowledge transfer and exchange. Additionally, it facilitates communication about our actions by sharing them with the scientific community.
ADVOCACY FOR UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE
We influence and engage decision-makers at local, national, and international levels:
- Our advocacy is grounded in our technical expertise and operational experience, as well as our understanding of the challenges faced by the countries where we work. It is evidence-based, drawing on our knowledge production and operational research results. This approach enables us to develop compelling arguments for changes in health policies.
Our advocacy is twofold:
- at project level, to enable the integration of effective interventions into public policies and to carry out advocacy actions with our partners in favour of users’ right to health;
- at a global level, to participate in the promotion of relevant approaches to health and international solidarity issues (right to health, equitable access to quality health services, global health financing and governance mechanisms).
0
PROJECTS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN 14 COUNTRIES IN 2024
0
Healthcare professionals trained
0
People who have accessed health consultations and services
0
People who have been sensitized and trained on SRHR issues