title: Empowerment for the Right to Health: The Use of the "Most Significant Change" Methodology in Monitoring.
abstract: Quantitative evaluations might be insufficient for measuring the impact of interventions promoting the right to health, particularly in their ability to contribute to a greater understanding of processes at the individual, community, and larger population level through which certain results are obtained. This paper discusses the application of a qualitative approach, the "most significant change" (MSC) methodology, in the Philippines, Palestine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and El Salvador between 2010 and 2013 by Third World Health Aid and its partner organizations. MSC is based on storytelling through which the central question--what changes occurred?--is developed in terms of, "who did what, when, why, and why was it important?" The approach focuses on personal stories that reflect on experiences of change for individuals over time. MSC implementation over several years allowed the organizations to observe significant change, as well as evolving types of change. Participants shifted their stories from "how the programs helped them" and "what they could do to help others benefit from the programs" to "what they could do to help their organizations." The MSC technique is useful as a complement to quantitative methods, as it is a slow, participatory, and intensive endeavor that builds capacity while being applied. This makes MSC a useful monitoring tool for programs with participatory and empowering objectives.
authors.affiliation: Project Officer at Third World Health Aid in Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Polet
authors.affiliation: Project Officer at Third World Health Aid in Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Malaise
authors.affiliation: Project Officer at Third World Health Aid in Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Anuschka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahieu
authors.affiliation: Coordinator of Advocates for Community Health in Manila City, Philippines.
authors.forename: Eulalia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Utrera
authors.affiliation: Member of the national secretariat of Gabriela in Quezon City, Philippines.
authors.forename: Jovita
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Montes
authors.affiliation: Deputy Executive Director of the Council for Health and Development in Quezon City, Philippines.
authors.forename: Rosalinda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tablang
authors.affiliation: Policy Officer for Third World Health Aid in Quezon City, Philippines.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aytin
authors.affiliation: President of Etoile du Sud in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: Erick
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kambale
authors.affiliation: Active member of Etoile du Sud in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luzala
authors.affiliation: Director of Youth Programs for the Health Work Committees in Jerusalem and the Kanaan Network of Palestinian civil society organizations.
authors.forename: Daoud
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Al-Ghoul
authors.affiliation: Member of youth programs for the Health Work Committees in Jerusalem.
authors.forename: Ranin Ahed
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Darkhawaja
authors.affiliation: Planning, monitoring, and evaluation consultant in San Salvador, El Salvador.
authors.forename: Roxana Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: Coordinator of the National Health Forum and at the Citizens' Alliance against the Privatization of Health, El Salvador.
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Posada
authors.affiliation: Director of Third World Health Aid in Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: De Ceukelaire
authors.affiliation: Researcher and Post-Graduate Course Coordinator at the Public Health Department of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pol
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Vos
mesh_terms: D003153:Community Health Services; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo; D004544:El Salvador; D006293:Health Promotion; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D010679:Philippines; D011209:Power, Psychological