CLA in Action to Meet a Community’s Emergent Needs in Fragile Setting

MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience (MIHR), funded by USAID, aims to improve voluntary family planning and reproductive health services in Mali's Gao and Timbuktu regions. The project faced challenges due to the shortage of qualified healthcare providers in these areas. To address this, MIHR adopted a Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) approach to collaborate with stakeholders and adapt its plans.

The decision to use CLA was driven by USAID's emphasis on such approaches and the need to be flexible in the volatile project context. MIHR collaborated with the Community Health Association – the managing board of the community health center (Association de Santé Communautaire, ASACO), in the Sankoré health area to support the recruitment of a qualified healthcare provider. This decision-making involved discussions with USAID and local stakeholders to assess needs and share responsibilities. By addressing the recruitment gap, MIHR gained trust and acceptance from the community, enhancing its visibility and activity implementation. Collaboration with local partners and health authorities improved, fostering an adaptive management culture. The recruitment of a qualified healthcare provider led to improved healthcare services and increased income for the ASACO, promoting sustainability and community empowerment.

The success of the CLA approach was facilitated by the project's open-mindedness and adaptability, collaboration with local partners, community acceptance, and resource availability. Lessons learned include considering local needs and being flexible to respond to emergent needs of the communities to foster resilience in the health system through collaborative approaches.