The model for community-led monitoring

Community-led clinic monitoring is a systematic collection of data at the site of service delivery by community members that is compiled, analysed and then used by community organisations to generate solutions to problems found during data collection. Community-led data collection that leads to the generation of evidence based-solutions can bring about meaningful changes to a community—not least the enhanced capacity of community members to continue to engage in future evidence-based monitoring and advocacy.

In Ritshidze, people living with HIV are empowered to monitor services provided at clinics, identify challenges, generate solutions that respond to the evidence collected, and make sure the solutions are implemented by duty bearers. Giving communities the ability to monitor the quality of service provision and highlight performance problems is an indispensable strategy for improving HIV and TB service delivery across South Africa.

The tools gather data at two levels—at the clinic as well as in the community. This is necessary to capture the experience and insights both of those accessing public healthcare services in these facilities and of those who are not currently interacting with the facility, both of whom have critical information about what is and is not working. The “facility-based” monitoring will capture observations as well as the perspectives of both healthcare users and healthcare providers. In the “community-based” monitoring component, we will gather information directly from community members through the use of door to door engagement and informal focus groups.

To read more you can see our guidebook that provides step-by-step instructions on how to conduct community-led clinic monitoring in South Africa. Here monitors can learn the basics about HIV in South Africa and the role of the PEPFAR programme; how to collect and capture evidence, how to analyse the findings and come up with solutions to benefit communities, and how to engage duty bearers and advocate for change.

About RITSHIDZE

“Ritshidze” — meaning “Saving Our Lives” in TshiVenda — has been developed by people living with HIV and activists to hold the South African government and aid agencies accountable to improve overall HIV and TB service delivery.

Partner organisations include the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), the National Association of People Living with HIV (NAPWA), Positive Action Campaign, Positive Women’s Network (PWN) and the South African Network of Religious Leaders Living with and affected by HIV/AIDS (SANERELA+)—in alliance with Health Global Access Project (Health GAP), the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), and Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law.

CLICK HERE to read more and see where we work.