Delivery of Improved Services for Health
(DISH) II Project

• Project Overview
• Objectives and Strategies
• Activities and Highlights
• Materials and Resources

PROJECT OVERVIEW

DISH II promoted health and quality of life by increasing service utilization and changing behavior related to reproductive maternal and child health in 12 of Uganda's 56 districts. In addition to the project’s focus on safe motherhood, family planning, immunization, HIV/AIDS, and malaria, DISH II emphasized capacity building and sustainability through efforts in improved quality of care, drug management and logistics, data utilization for decision making, establishing a local behavior change organization, and dissemination of DISH best practices and products. Five components of the project worked synergistically toward these aims: Behavior Change Communication; Training, Supervision, and Clinical Services; Health Management and Quality Assurance; Research and Evaluation; and Finance and Administration.

Funded by USAID, DISH II ran from September 1999 to September 2002. Partners included the University of North Carolina Program in International Training and Health (INTRAH), Management Sciences for Health (MSH) , the Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Reproductive Health (JHPIEGO), and the Ministry of Health.

More information about the project's history, structure, and strategic approaches is available on the DISH Web site.

OBJECTIVES/STRATEGIES

The DISH II project aimed to:

• Make good quality maternal, child and reproductive health services more widely available;
• Improve district capacity to support good quality health services;
• Encourage healthy practices among individuals, families and communities; and
• Document, evaluate, and share lessons learned with others.

ACTIVITIES AND HIGHLIGHTS

Detailed information on DISH II activities is available at the link’s below:

• Behavior Change Communication
• Training and Clinical Services
• Health Management/Quality Assurance
• Research & Evaluation

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Selected examples of DISH II materials are highlighted below. Additional materials can be found on the DISH website.

Centre 4 Television Series: This 13-part dramatic television series told the stories of people living in the fictitious Konaweeka Trading Centre and working in the local Health Centre 4.

Health Matters Newspaper: Produced quarterly, this newspaper was published in English, Luganda, and Runyankole. Each issue was devoted to a different health topic.

Nze N'Owange (“Me and My Partner”) Community Radio Game Show: To encourage male involvement in family planning, interactive community game shows were conducted and recorded in rural communities. Married couples competed to see who knew the most about each other in an educational and entertaining format. Each game show was then turned into a 45-minute broadcast.