SHIRIM

About SHIRIM

In 2017, an external evaluation of SNI identified that knowledge exchange between the four country hubs was limited and suggested that SNI should actively facilitate this exchange. SNI country hubs supported this idea and indicated a particular interest in focusing on translating knowledge into products for use in changing policy and practice. In light of these developments, the Share-Net International Rapid Improvement Model (SHIRIM) was established in 2017.

SHIRIM aims to:

• Improve understanding of which strategies contribute to successful knowledge translation and use in the specific context of each Share-Net country hub.
• Develop the capacity of the participating staff from each country hub with respect to knowledge brokering.
• Facilitate learning, collaboration and exchange between the four country hubs.

SHIRIM was built on a method called the Collaborative Approach. It was used previously for improving specific health care practices and reducing costs in specific countries. SHIRIM now uses the Collaborative Approach concept for the first time for knowledge management purposes across different country contexts.

Collaborative Approach

The Collaborative Approach forms part of the Breakthrough Series developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), an independent not-for-profit organisation based in the US. The approach was initially developed to further our mission of improving the quality and value of health care. However, it is applicable to everything, as the approach helps organisations close the gap between what we know and what we do by creating a structure in which interested organisations can easily learn from each other and from recognised experts in topic areas where they want to make improvements.

How does the SHIRIM work in practice?

SHIRIM is implemented as a short-term learning system of 18 months during which the country hubs can develop and try out new strategies and interventions to translate knowledge into products for use in changing policy and practice. The country hubs each selected a theme for breakthrough improvement. A facilitation team that includes knowledge experts and subject matter experts in the specific focus areas assist the representatives in selecting, testing and implementing changes.

The Collaborative Approach is implemented in a cyclical manner, alternating between learning sessions and action periods:

1. During the first learning session participants learned how to implement the Collaborative Approach in their own context, and got topic updates from subject matter experts. The country hubs also developed a change package which encompassed strategies for knowledge translation to tackle their chosen issue.
2. The country hubs then returned to their country and set up a local collaborative with their own stakeholders. Here, they replicated the first learning session and adapted their change package with the input of these stakeholders.
3. The strategies for knowledge translation were then implemented during the local action period.

SHIRIM 2022/2023

The SHIRIM 2022/2023 is an 18-month action learning process that builds on the Collaborative Approach as well as Systems Thinking. The learning journey, starting in February 2022, has been designed to be an engaging and meaningful experience for the hubs to explore, experiment, and exchange together with their members effective strategies to translate newly acquired knowledge around SRHR Information & Education towards policy influencing and improving practice.

Subtopics Share-Net Country Hubs

Share-Net Bangladesh: Improving the access to climate change and SRHR information and education for policymakers in Bangladesh.
Share-Net Burkina Faso: Improving the access for schools and families to information on menstrual health to keep young girls in school in Burkina Faso.
Share-Net Burundi: Improving the access for young people to appropriate, “consumable” and authentic information on sexuality in Burundi.
Share-Net Colombia: Strengthening capacities and knowledge of community and social organizations that work with LGBTIQ+ community and raising awareness within the healthcare and administrative staff of health institutions in Colombia.
Share-Net Ethiopia: Improving access to information and education to prevent Child Marriage in Ethiopia.
Share-Net Jordan: Improving parent-adolescent SRHR information and education in Jordan.

Examples of change packages which have been tested in the previous SHIRIM cycle 2018/2019?

In the SHIRIM learning trajectory of 2018/2019, Share-Net Bangladesh and Share-Net Jordan both chose child marriage as their focus topic, while Share-Net Burundi chose teenage pregnancy. Share-Net Netherlands adopted a slightly different focus by partnering with Rutgers Indonesia to target child marriage in Indonesia.

Examples of change packages developed and adjusted jointly with local stakeholders include:

• Share-Net Burundi conducted a literature review on best practices to address teenage pregnancies and a stakeholder mapping and analysis. A radio broadcasting talk show was aired on 12 radio stations and a workshop was organised to develop and validate mechanisms for monitoring adolescent pregnancies in Burundi.
• Share-Net Netherlands and Rutgers Indonesia conducted a roundtable and workshop to develop guidelines on the Merariq Culture as misinterpretation contributes to the high incidence of child marriage in Indonesia. A syllabus was developed to provide training on the Merariq guideline and subsequently village heads were trained.
• Share-Net Jordan developed a national action plan based on a previously developed policy brief, developed a media strategy and set up 4 Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships to address child marriage among Syrian refugees, conduct a research on economic and social drivers and provide awareness training at hospitals and schools.
• Share-Net Bangladesh developed an online information hub on child marriage, which contains a database of stakeholders, their projects, research and tools. A booklet was developed sharing best practices and a round table was organised to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders and ensure coordinated efforts.

SHIRIM Knowledge Products

Expansion of the SHIRIM model

The next cycle will start February 2022 and will focus on ‘SRHR Communication & Information.’ Other future topics may include unsafe abortion, gender-based violence, and adolescent sexual health depending on which topics have the potential to elicit change.