NGO–government partnerships for scaling up: sexuality education in Mexico

Abstract

Governments in developing countries need effective programmes to advance public policies and improve social welfare. NGOs often have well-tested programmes and research outcomes that are relevant to such needs, yet the scaling up of pilot programmes to national level is difficult to achieve and frequently unsuccessful. This article presents a case of successful scaling up for an adolescent sexual-health and psychosocial-competencies programme in Mexico, through an NGO–government partnership involving IMIFAP, a Mexican NGO. The case illustrates how an NGO can create a successful partnership with government to scale up effective programmes, in ways that meet key needs of the target population while protecting the NGO's core values.

Keywords:

• Social Sector
• Civil Society
• Governance and Public Policy
• Latin America and the Caribbean

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank many organisations for their support and financial contributions in the development and scaling up of sexuality-education programmes by IMIFAP, including the Buffett, John and Catherine MacArthur, Merck, Moriah, and Summitt Foundations; local and federal Ministries of Education from Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Greece, Honduras, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay; the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Population Council, UNFPA, USAID, WHO, and the World Bank. We also thank the UNAM and Harvard Center for Population and Development for supporting the writing this article, and Kate Delaney for her editorial assistance.

The author

Susan Pick (corresponding author) is Professor of Social Psychology at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and President of Instituto Mexicano de Investigación de Familia y Población (IMIFAP). Her current work focuses on sustainable human development, life-skills education, and comprehensive community development. Between 2005 and 2007 she was a Fellow at the Center for Population and Development of Harvard University, which made it possible for her to write the article. Contact details: IMIFAP, Malaga Norte 25, Col. Insurgentes, Mixcoac, 03920 México DF, [email protected]

Martha Givaudan is the executive vice-president of the Instituto Mexicano de Investigación de Familia y Población (IMIFAP). Her current work centres on programme evaluation, health promotion, and drug-use prevention. Contact details: IMIFAP, Malaga Norte 25, Col. Insurgentes, Mixcoac, 03920 México DF, [email protected]

Michael R. Reich is Taro Takemi Professor of International Health Policy at the Harvard School of Public Health. His current research includes the politics of health reform in Mexico and access to health technologies in poor countries. During 2005–2006, he was visiting professor at the Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública in Cuernavaca. Contact details: Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, 9 Bow Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. [email protected]

Notes

1. The authors contributed to this article in the following ways: Susan Pick was responsible for the conceptualisation and organisation of the fieldwork, and for most of the writing; Martha Givaudan was responsible for the supervision of the fieldwork and preparation of the manuscript; and Michael R. Reich was involved with conceptualisation and writing.