Until recently, the Share-Net International (SNI) hubs have focused on individual countries to achieve their impacts and outcomes. However, during one of the strategic meetings in 2020, the SNI and the country hubs in Bangladesh, Burundi, Jordan, and the Netherlands discussed the ‘regional approach’ and aimed to implement the ‘regional approach’. Under the regional approach, Share-Net International agreed to support some country hubs to explore the opportunities to work more regionally. In this regard, Share-Net Bangladesh (SNB), hosted by RedOrange Media and Communications, has been given the responsibility to explore the possibility of collaboration in the South Asia region regarding regional learning, knowledge sharing within the scope of SRHR on equality, and mutual respect.

The countries of interest in the regional approach are India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Therefore, Share- Net Bangladesh likes to work together in the region to fight these common and highly concerning issues for SRHR. Against this backdrop, Share-Net Bangladesh (SNB) aims to conduct a situational and feasibility analysis to examine the role and added value of the expansion of Share-Net in the four countries mentioned above in the South Asia region. This situational and feasibility analysis was conducted through an extensive review of secondary documents in SRHR in the South Asia region and the interview with the practitioners, activists, and researchers involved in SRHR issues in the South Asia region. A group of key people in the different organizations working in the SRHR was interviewed in-depth to explore the objectives of this consultancy. Thirteen key people were consulted (5 from India, 3 from Nepal, and 5 from Pakistan). The one-to-one consultation was conducted using an online platform, either Zoom or Google Meet, and the
interview was recorded with permission from the respondents. The data generated through Web search and consultation were analyzed, synthesized, and documented in a report. The primary data collected through consultation with the key people were analyzed thematically. This situational and feasibility analysis shows a huge potentiality of setting up a knowledge platform for SRHR issues in the South Asian region, mainly focusing on Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. The countries of this region have many similarities with dissimilarities. Therefore, the respondents strongly agreed to develop a knowledge platform
on SRHR issues for this region. The specific recommendations and action plan according to the experts interviewed as part of this assignment can be summarized as follows:

• ShareNet Bangladesh should open a regional knowledge hub on SRHR issues with a dedicated webpage where knowledge products can be reposited.
• Based on the report of this preliminary assignment, country-level mapping for the organizations and persons working on SRHR issues in each of these regional countries should be mapped.
• Country-level and regional communities of practice (CoP) on issues related to SRHR should be formed.
• Meetings of the regional CoP members could be organized periodically to share and learn from each other.
• Online knowledge fairs on SRHR-related issues can involve the regional organizations and persons working.
• Dedicated human resources should be recruited for ShareNet Bangladesh to oversight the activities of the
regional approach.
• A steering committee should be formed to monitor the activities of the regional hub by engaging experts across the South Asian region.

In conclusion, it can be said that there is an opportunity for the SRHR-related organizations and networks working in South Asia to learn and share as the countries have significant commonalities in terms of culture, shared norms, and values. However, the quality of the selected knowledge products for repositioning in the knowledge hub, leadership to maintain the knowledge hub, and financial sustainability should be considered.

Read the full document here; Examine the Role and Added Value of Expanding Share-Net Bangladesh in the South Asia Region