Health and education

The purpose of the health and education components of the BSF Joint Programme is to increase the use of social infrastructure in rural areas to help communities grow healthier and more empowered, and capable of managing their own lives, improving their living standards and taking advantage of new opportunities for rural off-farm employment and enterprise development.

For social infrastructure to have a sustained impact, local and national governments require capacity-building in planning, implementing and managing development projects that respond the needs of community requests and needs. Districts in a given country will be at various levels of development: for some, additional efforts and resources are required to enable them to play their part. Special attention is given to the training of tender boards, procurement offices and finance departments to ensure good governance and supervision of contracts.

The creation of social infrastructure also relies to a large extent on a vibrant private sector. Through the use of local contractors, engaged by the local or national government, the Joint Programme hopes to build capacity in the local private sector, thereby creating sources of employment and income in rural areas. 

Local and national governments are faced with the challenge of keeping the infrastructure that has been built adequately staffed and equipped so that the necessary services can be provided in the long term. The Joint Programme conducts in-service training for those working in the areas of health and education.

Most rural communities have not yet developed a maintenance culture. This problem exists at almost all levels of society and it is feared that unless operation and maintenance issues are addressed at the project implementation stage, the project structures created will not be sustainable. To strengthen this aspect of community culture, the Joint Programme’s activities include capacity-building for school and health committees. This support is crucial to safeguarding the sustainability of investments.

Community mobilization and creating a sense of ownership in the community are the driving forces behind social and economic development.

To monitor progress in the projects and to determine impact, the Joint Programme draws mainly on government-compiled statistics in the health and education sectors. Improvements in poverty indices are therefore verified through the data received from statistical offices in partner countries. To obtain more detailed data in the project areas, the Joint Programme undertakes baseline surveys and studies and sets up information systems to capture, analyse and monitor data. 

Joint Programme investments in education and training have been highly successful. The positive correlation between adult literacy campaigns and the provision of care services (malaria prevention, feeding patterns, etc.) has been demonstrated (e.g. PPBAS/Mozambique) and literacy training has also provided a stimulus to community members in the economic and productive sectors.

The impact of improved health services is reflected in the reduction of mortality and morbidity in communities (e.g. Gash Barka/Eritrea) and in increased productivity.