Social mobilization is an empowering process to raise awareness of and demand for a particular program, to assist in the delivery of resources and services and to strengthen community participation for sustainability and self-reliance. The whole notion of social mobilization is to transform communities into positive vibes and develop transformational leadership within the community. Self-mobilization of Natural Leaders (NLs) and their engagement with community women and adolescent girls to empower them on the issues around Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) is an excellent pathway towards transformational leadership that envisioned by Ipas Nepal.
Self-motivated NLs and their self-mobilization in the communities getting women and girls empowered on SRHR, aware on social norms and traditions, informed choice of family planning services, increased in health service seeking behavior and has increased access to safe abortion ecosystem services ensuring valued social settings and activities. Community engagement through NLs self-mobilization helped Local Governments and Health Facilities improve the efficiency, legitimacy and transparency of their decision making on SRHR interventions and services. It has promoted advocacy and evidence-based social movements. NLs self-mobilization brought community women and adolescent girls in front to exercise their rights and made service providers accountable towards quality SRHR services at local level.
This qualitative study of NLs self-mobilization on SRHR was commissioned by Ipas Nepal and the study work was undertaken in September to November 2021. Due to the COVID-19 context, the resources and timeframe for the study did not permit a larger and more rigorous examination and assessment of the full range of agency building and NLs self-mobilization on SRHR undertaken by Ipas Nepal.