Why the Africa Region Strategy is critical The body of research and partnerships we have built position us to expand our work and partnerships in the region. As we expand our work in the Africa region, it is critical to respond to sexual and reproductive health and rights issues that address priorities, needs, and lived realities in the region. In doing this, Ibis will play a role in bridging the gap between the global community and the lived reality in the region by:
Doing more community-based research and participatory research Documenting the impact of global events—e.g. changing political landscape, pandemics, etc.—on partnerships and the work that organisations do in the region Creating spaces that allow people to connect and different types of organisations to engage
Working directly and partnering with the communities we research Knowing Ibis’s footprint As we expand our work across broader African geographies, we plan to position ourselves in funder discussions, partnerships, and programming in ways that advance our Africa Region Strategy goals, using monitoring and evaluation as a tool to inform effective strategic planning. Knowing our strengths Straddling the intersections, particularly the research-practitioner intersection, the researcher-community engagement intersection, and the local specific knowledge-policy intersection. This is a strength that is very valuable in the broader Africa region context.
Ibis as a convener and connector. There is a real opportunity to use this strength in the field to pool knowledge across different Africa regions and share evidence and best practices. Ibis as a strategy manager. Ibis staff bring expertise in the measurement of progress. Sexual and reproductive health expertise. Ibis has significant expertise in conducting research on SRH— particularly abortion, an area of research that few organisations prioritise. Global research expertise. Ibis conducts research in over 30 countries across the globe, resulting in rich and diverse evidence base that inform policy and service delivery approaches. Ibis’s greatest strengths lie in our expert staff, longstanding partnerships—including with government and policymakers—and unflagging commitment to our mission. Our staff is comprised of highly trained social science and clinical researchers, public health practitioners, and strategic communications experts.
