Erick Niyongira, Rwandan KM Champion.
Erick Niyongira, a KM Champion from Rwanda, said, “KM Champions are important actors in family planning and reproductive health programming. We help bridge implementation gaps by ensuring that stakeholders find, share, and utilize the knowledge they need, which transforms the lives of women, men, couples, and families.” Niyongira noted that through effective collaboration with KM champions, organizations can achieve much more in advancing the provision of services and reducing the unmet need for family planning.
KM Champions play an important role in increasing the visibility of Knowledge SUCCESS’ work in the East Africa region. They have helped disseminate knowledge management messages from Knowledge SUCCESS to target audiences and have continuously advocated for knowledge sharing and positive learning behaviors. They link local partners to communities and assist project managers in understanding country contexts.
Challenges Encountered
Niyongira notes that family planning and reproductive health programs are making a big impact on communities, evidenced by the increasing uptake of modern contraceptives. While the Champions rightfully contribute to this success, they face several challenges.
KM Champions are volunteers; due to competing work priorities, it is sometimes difficult to seamlessly implement their activities to achieve stated objectives in a timely manner.
Limited opportunities for meaningful youth engagement in decision-making is another challenge. Niyongira explains, “The most active KM Champions are the youth, but the youth have limited access to decision and policymaking platforms, which limits their abilities to effectively engage critical stakeholders to make impact.”
Getting government leaders’ attention was difficult, especially in explaining the importance of knowledge management in delivering effective FP/RH programs. Grant, the KM champion from Tanzania explained that youths face tremendous challenges in navigating stringent government protocols, which cause a loss of crucial information along the way and disillusionment among the youth.
An additional challenge is limited resources for online engagement. With the movement restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, KM Champions in Uganda encountered challenges interacting with stakeholders virtually, especially in remote areas where internet connectivity is difficult.