South-to-South Collaboration

In a South-to-South collaboration effort with PROFAMILIA, CATALYST offered scholarships to PROFAMILIA-hosted 2002 training modules on a range of issues such as: Rights and Gender; Reproductive Health Services; Health Sector Reform; Cost Accounting and Internal Control for RH institutions; Advocacy and Promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Rights; Adolescent Reproductive Health; and Reproductive Health Services for Men.  The main objective of this South-to-South collaboration was to improve public and private institutional systems for client-driven FP/RH service provision in Colombia. 

PROFAMILIA's successful experience and role in the Colombian Health Sector Reform was previously documented by CATALYST, producing lessons learned that are now available for dissemination.  In addition, PROFAMILIA's valuable experience with the introduction of the Emergency Contraception Pill (ECP) in Colombia was incorporated as a case study in the CATALYST Advocacy Module, and was also documented in the ECP manual entitled "Emergency Contraception, A woman's right: The Colombian Experience." The manual is being translated into English and supports CATALYST's ECP strategy in the LAC and ANE regions.

PROFAMILIA also collaborates closely with the Partners of Population and Development to identify organizations and experts with technical leadership that can support South-to-South initiatives globally.  PROFAMILIA maintains an up-to-date database with the names of the participants of South-to-South programs in Latin America, as well as a roster of technical experts in various areas of SRH.

The training modules were begun in June of 1998 under the UNPFA South-to-South program.  CATALYST successfully leveraged these existing resources to form a synergistic partnership of three members of the consortium: PROFAMILIA, CEDPA and the Meridian Group Inc.  PROFAMILIA and CEPDA collaborated closely to pilot the CATALYST Advocacy and Adolescent Reproductive Health Modules; in June 2002, the Meridian Group Inc. organized with PROFAMILIA to conduct the International Seminar on Corporate Social Responsibility in Bogotá, Colombia.  In December 2002, a Rights and Gender module will be offered in Bogotá.

Additional information can be found in the South-to-South promotional/informational brochure available in both English and Spanish regarding the various activities and training modules offered by PROFAMILIA in Bogotá. 

The CATALYST Consortium is a global activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development. For more information contact us at: