• As first-time ethical approval for an international project, we learnt that the ethical process is a systematic and thorough process that requires patience. Ethical approval for a multi-national project is even more detailed and requires team coordination and effort.
• It was difficult to make a good financial plan for a short project. Costs were estimated as supporting external researchers in the different countries were not completely identified yet. We have done almost everything ourselves to be sure that the research was done well. This could be improved in future projects, by being better prepared and ensure the use of our big networks.
• Deadlines are important to adhere to especially in an international team with time differences and cultural differences. Encouraging punctuality kept the team motivated.
• Given the scope of the project, adhering to initial timings proved difficult. Our supervisors at Share-Net were fantastic to extend our deadlines. Lesson learned: KEEP IT SIMPLE.
• We found that having an international, comparative study increased the depth of the research, which proved more valuable to researchers and policy makers.

1. Project Design
Gathering the necessary background information was key towards the project proposal development. We also found that the Cohort series of webinars along with the involvement of locals from the project countries proved invaluable.

2. Project Implementation
It was difficult to get an appointment with the targeted policy makers. When a meeting finally took place, the policy makers had extremely limited time to discuss the project with CSOs.
Through persistence, this approach did ,however, lead to effectiveness, efficiency and the desired results.

3. Monitoring and Evaluation
Constant monitoring of project activities from inception and insistence on best practices helped prevent parties from deviating from the set project objectives and timelines.

Webinar/development of the knowledge product experiences:
Developing this toolkit is not that easy. Research/Advocacy exacts a price. We commit our energy, our spirit, our reputation. In all truth, we commit our vulnerability. At times we needed to regroup and seek support and remind ourselves that there is strength in numbers, and in order to find it, we need to go out and connect with people.

4. Dissemination
We had a robust dissemination strategy both off and online. We were able to share the knowledge product across the globe due to pre-existing network connections. Offline distribution took place in-country. Several Reproductive Health Coordinators went back to their states with copies to be distributed to facilities. The key success story here is the wider reach of the product and the promise for continuous use

1. The process is part of the outcome
Despite many difficulties and challenges that we faced during the project, the executive summary and the full report are examples of success. The study is in-depth and brings into views stories, insights and anecdotes that can help policy makers develop appropriate responses to the challenges facing socio-economically vulnerable groups especially transgender population. In addition to the qualitative reports, this small-scale rapid research also contributed to the livelihood of two members of the hijra and trans community in Bangladesh by hiring them as researchers. They were also given brief training in research methods especially interview. Partnering with Transgender Network Netherlands was also a massive help since they connected the research team with potential transgender sex workers and refugees in the Netherlands who could be interviewed for this research. While working directly with the community members about whom the research is being undertaken can be seen as an example of best practice in research, there are serious practical problems associated with such an approach as briefly explained in the blog post.

2. Context is key
While hiring people from within the community under investigation is definitely an exercise in collaboration, power inequality and hierarchy within the community context are also important factors that need to be taken into account in research practice. For example, one of the research assistants in Bangladesh was relatively influential within the community as a leader and their status as a senior hijra impacted the way the interviewees responded. Interviewees often assumed during the interview process that being a senior hijra leader, they would already know responses to most of the questions posed. The principal investigator, however, identified the problem early on in the research and came up with a strategy to address this problem.

3. A path to greater influence
While finding funding for research is always a lengthy process, small grants can make a difference by supporting projects on SHRH related issues that need immediate attention. Small grants can also be very useful in piloting research projects and generating some primary data which can later be used for scaling up the research and application for major funding and intervention.

• People were timid to talk about SRHR services. As a conservative society, talking about SRHR services and issues are not well accepted in our community. People were unwilling to fill in the survey forms due to privacy concerns. Once we sat with the participants and showed them that personal information was not being collected and that we only needed the data to identify societal problems to solve them, they got on board. We also highlighted that their time is precious to our mission and that their input will be beneficial for future generations by highlighting how Women Empowerment benefitted our generation.
• While working on online violence and conducting a social media analysis we found that online-based violence was on the rise during the pandemic especially in the form of victim blaming, and the harassment of female entrepreneurs and female movements. Being overwhelmed by blind justification, hate speech and sarcastic and abusive comments, woman often abandon their ventures or refrain from starting their own businesses. We encountered similar violent online treatment and had to block the respective IDs on our page. The government of Bangladesh has commendably initiated Police Cyber Support for Women in order to raise awareness around and provide support to victims of online violence.
• The survey highlighted that people were less interested in accessing SRHR services during the pandemic and that pregnant women were unsure if they should visit the doctor physically or not. Good practices also came forward in this regard; There were online SRHR and maternal health care toolkits to reduce the necessity of visiting doctor physically. This in turn gave exposure to and promoted the use of online platforms during the pandemic, which drew even more attention to UNYSAB & CMMS’s massive campaign on Menstrual Cups for maintaining good hygiene at a lower cost.
• Intimate partner violence was also on the rise during the pandemic. This project tried to focus not only on the legal measure of intimate partner violence, but also on the impact intimate partner violence has on the life of the perpetrator, other family members and that of kids. The campaign promoted ways to establish a peaceful relationship based on respect and care, free of coercion in order to ensure overall wellbeing.
• Transgender people faced massive challenges during Lockdown as they are not well accepted in our society. Even when they had all the COVID-19 symptoms they were denied treatment. Due to lack of education, they also found it hard to make use of online alternatives. We concluded that Transgender people need in-person, exclusive surveys due to their unique needs and educational shortcomings.

The YOUVLOG seeks to:

To expose the lack of gender equality

• Girls who fall pregnant are forced by social norms to leave their homes and marry the man who made her pregnant irrespective of the circumstances (rapist, boyfriend etc.).
• Indonesian culture favours the married over the employed.

To showcase the lack of Meaningful Youth Participation (MYP)

• Pregnant girls are expelled without discussion from school with no chance of continuing their education once the child is born.

To highlight ineffective SRHR strategies for adolescents

• The use of condoms are a taboo within communities, increasing the rate of unwanted pregnancy and child marriage.
• Once unmarried persons have an unwanted pregnancy, it is prohibited to do an abortion.
• Lack of SRHR knowledge among the community, particularly the adolescents, does not only contribute to poverty (due to child marriage and employment instability), but, in some cases, also lead to the death of the mother or the child or both where improper medical care is taken during delivery.

• Media have great effect on healthcare choices of mothers in relation to Breast feeding.
• Healthcare Providers bay In, commitment’s and Active participation in an asset for successful Change.
• Importance of building on previous achievement; trying not to invent the wheels will save time and effort.

• The lockdown has arrived to unprepared population. Phobia, propaganda, misinformation and, in many cases, disinformation controlled the behaviour of young people, pregnant women, adolescent boys and girls. These groups did not have the chance to ask questions. Priority was given to those with chronic diseases and those who have fever or signs of COVID-19. The lesson learnt is that every single person has the right to get access to care and information regardless of curfew or lockdown. The authorities and health insurance organizations have the responsibility to find appropriate solutions;
• The cultural, linguistic, technological and health systems variation make a huge difference when applying evidence. The difference is in the ways systems are developed and allied in different settings affect human behaviour towards sexual and reproductive health services in countries. The lesson is “be careful when applying evidence in a setting that has been generated in another setting”;
• Healthcare workers, health administrators and patients have different reasons and motivations to be at the healthcare centers. Dealing with the motivation of one group or even one individual can lead to many different results and conclusions. Patients want to get cured and receive the best information available to help them make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. Health care workers want to deliver high quality care while at the same time help as many patients as possible in the shortest possible time. Often sufficient time is not available for conversations and advice. Administrators have their own agenda to reduce cost and increase the number of visitors to health care centres. These are conflicting motivations and reconciling them is a huge challenge for the health authorities. The lesson is to consider values and ethics of health care delivery considering the different players in the process;
• Information and communication technology (ICT) in health in the form of eHealth, health information on the Internet or telehealth has been used a primary source of information during the lockdown. Yet, it is the most underestimated source with often the strongest focus on the use of technology and not the quality of the content. The government, the nongovernment organizations and even the people seeking advice have all focused on how to increase the bandwidth of the Internet, how to get equipment to access the Internet and how can the mobile phone be used to search the Internet, connect to social media and send/receive messages. The content of the websites, the messages and the conversation itself have often been ignored. This has resulted in abuse of the media, low quality of websites, inappropriate content, harassment, violence and misuse of resources. The lesson learnt is that not only the availability and access to information but also the quality of the content is important to consider and should be support by health authorities and donors;
• Patients are dying to get information and advice from neighbours, elders, digital resources and health professionals. Timeliness, ease of access, availability of the source and confidentiality have all been justifications given to use one rather than the other. The lesson is to make all sources available, accessible and reliable through empowerment, enabling and community participation;
• Meeting people face-to-face and explaining to them the reasons behind this study and talking to them using the language they understand and listening to their concerns have increased the level of trust between the research team and the audience. This has meant openness, frankness and free dialogue. The interviews have revealed information that would have been impossible to collect if another data collection tool was used such as questionnaire or observation. The lesson learnt is that in situations like this one the best method to collect data is to attentively listen and follow up and let the conversation flow;
• The discussion with policy makers, patients and health care experts while preparing the model was honest and open. It was clear that there is a need for a different way to deliver health care. That was has to consider the local situation, the pandemic, the needs of people, the resources, the infrastructure and the human resources in health. There was a noticeable eagerness among stakeholders to change based on evidence. The lesson learnt is to bring policy makers, the people and the researchers together to build better and common understanding and come up with realistic solutions to a well-defined problem.

• To create interactive tools that are easily to access and understand, it is important to bring together teams of researchers and linguists with innovative communication experts.
• Knowledge products land best when an opportunity or event is created where the authors can explain its context, purpose, and use.
• By making an editable version of the tools available on a secure platform such as RePoder, professionals can download and adapt the material to suit the needs and purposes of their advocacy actions.

• The semi-structured interviews and digital storytelling videos provided an opportunity for participants to reflect on the surrounding situation around their menstruation at the workplace.
• It created an environment where misconceptions could be shared and explored freely.
• The participants found it as an opportunity to break the silence with their colleagues from other genders.
• The project inspired both teams to apply for new grants to continue their efforts on the ground and to offer sustainable solutions and build upon this successful collaboration by establishing a long-term partnership in which different projects and research can be co-implemented.