THANK YOU FOR 5 YEARS OF SPARCing THE CHANGE!
In the last 5 years SPARC has achieved sizeable milestones since its inception through her work with technical partners, coaches, mentors and countries. The adaptation of SPARC’s theory of change into the SHP framework was a crucial part of SPARC’s achievements. The SHP framework was subsequently used in conducting a mapping of strategic purchasing functions across 9 African countries through SPARCs technical partners. Additionally, SPARC worked with technical partners to conduct an evidence synthesis on performance-based financing for SHP in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In an effort to increase awareness and knowledge for SHP in Africa, SPARC hosted several in-person and virtual conversations around SHP reforms in Africa including policy dialogue series on strategic purchasing reforms, twitter chats with policy makers and technical partners on contemporary topics around SHP and the SPARC technical partners convening which focused on the use of government budgets to achieve SHP reforms.
SPARC also hosted monthly capacity development sessions with its network of over 200 health financing experts (the FORCE community) on SHP highlighting emerging issues and SPARC’s work using the coaching approach in country SHP reforms. Additionally, SPARC, in collaboration with technical partners and coaches, has published several journal articles, including the HSR special issue on Strategic purchasing, policy briefs and technical briefs on the implementation of SHP in sub-Saharan Africa.
SPARC has also directly supported 10 sub-Saharan African countries at different stages of their SHP reforms process through country engagement activities. The countries that have been supported by SPARC include Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Benin, Eswatini, Nigeria, South Africa and the DRC.
