Gender Competency Training of Family Planning Providers in Ghana

November 14, 2024

By Data for Impact

Gender competency refers to the knowledge, attitudes, and skills that can help family planning (FP) providers reduce gender-related barriers experienced by their clients. To strengthen the gender competency of FP providers, USAID recently supported the development of two new resources: a self-assessment tool to measure gender competency (developed by D4I in 2022), and an eLearning course (developed by HRH2030 and hosted by Chemonics). These resources provide training in six domains of gender competency.

In partnership with the Ghana Health Services (GHS), D4I designed a series of workshops to examine implementation models for how GHS can integrate these resources into training for FP providers. The activity also collected information about implementation outcomes—acceptability, appropriateness, usability, and feasibility—for each model. The three implementation models include: (1) traditional in-person format, (2) blended format with a mix of in-person meetings and asynchronous learning using the eLearning course, and (3) virtual format with a mix of short virtual meetings and asynchronous learning.

D4I completed the traditional and blended workshops with 28 FP providers of diverse cadres (14 in each workshop). The traditional workshop was conducted in the city of Tamale, located in the Northern region while the blended workshop was conducted in the city of Kumasi in the Ashanti region. The traditional, in-person workshop spanned two days. Providers were given tablets to individually complete the self-assessment tool and the six modules of the eLearning course. After each module, small group discussions were facilitated using prompts from the self-assessment discussion guide.

The blended format included two half-day, in-person meetings. Between these meetings, providers completed the eLearning course on their own. During the first meeting they completed the self-assessment tool, two of the eLearning modules, and participated in a small group discussion about the content. Participants were also connected via a WhatsApp group. During the second meeting, providers met in small groups to discuss the training’s content.

Providers in both workshop formats expressed enthusiasm for integrating gender competency training more widely in Ghana and rated the tool and eLearning course positively in terms of acceptability, appropriateness to their work, and usability. Consistent with previous piloting of the tool, providers felt that the most important modules were the ones focused on legal rights and status and gender-based violence (GBV).

“It is important to train service providers more on how to handle such situations because we sometimes face this hurdle when clients come to the FP units with complaints of their partners violating them because they are on FP methods…most clients leave their FP books behind in order for it not to be known by their partners.”
—Training participant

Providers also liked the emphasis on engaging men and boys as supportive partners and users of FP. Providers discussed that religious views influence the differences in power between men and women in FP decisions and that adolescents face the greatest gender-related barriers to obtaining FP services.

The traditional format was well-liked by participants because it provided an opportunity to discuss with other providers how they experienced aspects of the various gender domains in their day-to-day work. Meeting in-person provided a respite from service provision wherein they had the time and space to collectively reflect on gender issues and how they address them in their work.

The blended format was also well received by participants. However, it was more challenging for participants to recall the information from each module completed during the week on their own. In this format, the group discussions were still valuable despite being less detailed for each domain. Participants completed most of the eLearning course, with no differences between those who were provided tablets (versus their own phones). Most providers completed the training during their personal time rather than during work hours.

One challenge across the two formats was the need for a strong internet connection to support the live-streaming content of the eLearning course. For this reason, providers in the blended format chose to complete the course at work where they had a stronger internet connection or during the evening hours when fewer people were on the network. In both cases, it was deemed feasible to shorten the duration of the in-person portions of the workshops.

The final workshops were held in April 2024 with providers from each region of Ghana. On August 7, 2024, D4I hosted a webinar about strengthening gender competency in FP that included insights on effective online training models and tools for providers. This webinar presented the unique strengths and challenges encountered when applying the tool and eLearning course through in-person training, hybrid in-person and asynchronous training, and completely virtual training for FP providers working in Ghana’s national FP program.

Learn more about D4I’s work in Ghana.

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