Gender intersections identified whilst transitioning mass vitamin A supplementation into an integrated reproductive and child health programme in Sierra Leone.

Since 2006, Sierra Leone has achieved high rates of vitamin A supplementation (VAS) coverage (>88%) during mass campaigns. In 2017, campaigns started transitioning to routine VAS within a six-monthly contact point for integrated reproductive and child health (RCH) services. This contact point included improved counselling and provision of modern contraceptives; throughout this transition high VAS coverage (>85%) has been maintained. VAS programmes have traditionally operated on the assumption that they are gender-neutral, but recent research suggests these programmes should re-examine how they interact with gender. This qualitative study examined intersections between gender and Sierra Leone's integrated VAS programming by conducting 32 individual interviews with parents, district health management and national staff, and six focus group discussions with health workers and community health workers (CHWs) in three pilot program districts. The study found that most senior health positions are held by males, and the lower cadres of majority female health workers often felt unsupported/disrespected by their male superiors and male CHW supervisees, or that their years of experience were overlooked in favour of the academic qualifications of less experienced male colleagues. Gender was not included in program training, and most staff did not have a good understanding of gender intersections; however, health workers actively engaged in awareness raising with male stakeholders to increase male involvement in RCH. Routine delivery requires mothers to invest time and money to access health facilities, where most mothers felt that better qualified staff were able to offer better advice and more services. Health workers felt that outreach services utilizing CHWs could decrease this time/money burden; however, CHWs are unqualified to provide counselling and provision of modern contraception, and there are fewer female CHWs. Records kept in health facilities record VAS by sex, but monthly reports submitted to the district and onwards to the national Health Management Information System are not disaggregated by sex. Programme and policymakers should consider improving the representation by females in senior, decision-making positions, integrating gender information into all trainings, supporting female health workers, training and recruiting more female CHWs, and reporting VAS coverage by sex.

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