SCORA Manual-2nd Edition

SCORA Manual "A world where no one is left behind"

2nd Edition

NORA’s Word

02

Abbreviations

03

Intro to IFMSA

04

Intro about IFMSA-Egypt

05

SCORA overview

06

Introduction to SRHR

07 08

National projects/Focus areas/SXC

09

Online era

10

Local coordinators’ kit

11

LORA’s kit

12

Manual team

National opportunities

CONTENTS

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NORA's Word

Dearest SCORAngels, Dearest curious readers, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) are essential aspects in everyone's lives.

However, in Egypt, it is still one of the most difficult topics to tackle. As medical students, it is our responsibility to advocate for access to SRH services in Egypt and to educate the population about their rights, clearing the many cultural misconceptions existing in our communities. And this is where SCORA kicks in!

SCORA is our space, the space where we grow into SRHR advocates and create concrete impact. We hope to create change among our members and we hope that this change is reflected in the world someday.

This manual is drafted by passionate SCORAngels from Egypt with the sole aim of inspiring other young medical students to be agents of change in the field of SRHR and helping them take their first steps towards it. It is a quick sneak peek into the great impact we have witnessed SCORAngels achieve over the years.

In a few years time, we will need to update this manual with the new achievements, ideas and insights of SCORAngels that pass through IFMSA-Egypt. Till this time, we hope that you can find these reflections on our past experiences useful and helpful for you to spread your wings and fly higher.

This manual is yours, use it wisely to draft the pages of the future one.

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List of Abbreviations International federation of medical students’ associations National Member Organization Local committee United Nations Non-Governmental Organization Standing Committee on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights including HIV and AIDS SCORA Director SCORA-D Liaison Officer on Sexual and Reproductive Health and LRA Rights including HIV and AIDS SCORA Regional Assistant SCORA-RA SCORA General Assistant SCORA-GA SCORA Development Assistant on Capacity Building SCORA-DACB SCORA-DA ME SCORA Development Assistant on Members Engagement SCORA-DA PRC SCORA Development Assistant for public relations & communication National Officer on Sexual and Reproductive Health and NORA Rights including HIV and AIDS Local Officer on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights LORA including HIV and AIDS General Assembly GA Sexually transmitted Infection STI Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome AIDS World Health Organization WHO Sexual and reproductive health and rights SRHR Female Genital Mutilation FGM Gender Based Violence GBV United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF Egypt Demographic and Health Survey EDHS United Nations Development Programme UNDP SCORA X-change SXC IFMSA NMO LC UN NGO SCORA

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What is IFMSA? The International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), founded in 1951, is one of the world’s oldest and largest student-run organizations.It was one of the numerous international student organizations set up directly after the end of the Second World War. It represents, connects and engages every day with an inspiring and engaging network of 1.3 million medical students from 133 NMOs in 123 countries around the globe. IFMSA has always focused on student mobility and exchange as well as conference and workshop organization.

IFMSA works on the local and national levels mainly via its six standing committees, each of them focusing on major health topics and medical studentrelated interests.

The Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH) The Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace (SCORP) The Standing Committee on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights including HIV and AIDS (SCORA) The Standing Committee On Medical Education (SCOME) The Standing Committee Professional Exchange (SCOPE) The Standing Committee on Research Exchange (SCORE)

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Vision A world in which all medical students unite for global health and are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values to take on health leadership roles locally and globally.

Mission IFMSA unites medical students worldwide to lead initiatives that impact positively the communities we serve. IFMSA represents the opinions and ideas of future health professionals in the field of global health, and works in collaboration with external partners. IFMSA builds capacity through training, project and exchange opportunities, while embracing cultural diversity so as to shape a sustainable and healthy future.

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IFMSA- Egypt

ental organization representing Medical IFMSA-Egypt is a non profit non governm member in the IFMSA [International Students in Egypt. IFMSA-Egypt is a full .

Federation of Medical Students' Associations] ents on a non-profit and voluntary basis. It IFMSA-Egypt is run for and by medical stud ugh 27 Local committees (LCs) represents all Egyptian Medical Students thro lement various health- related activities Medical students gather to design and imp open channels of communication, online and projects. This is made possible through rnmental bodies, UN agencies, NGOs and forums and partnerships with different gove ionally. other youth groups, both in Egypt and internat

IFMSA-Egypt serves as the representative organization and leading opportunities hub for medical students in Egypt, making it an integral part of every student’s medical journey and a leading youth, health advocacy organization among stakeholders.

Vision

Mission Our mission is to offer future physicians a comprehensive introduction to global health issues. Through our programming and opportunities, we develop active, efficient and culturally sensitive students of medicine, intent on influencing the transnational inequalities that shape the health of our planet

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SCORA Vision

History The Standing Committee on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights including HIV and AIDS was formed in 1992, driven by a strong will to take an active part in interventions concerning HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and to support people living with HIV and AIDS through working to decrease stigma and discrimination. It constitutes one out of the six Standing Committees of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association which serve as the Body of all Medical Students worldwide.

SCORA develops and promotes medical students’ empowerment and activities aiming at improving sexual and reproductive health and rights led by students for the benefit of their communities. This is primarily done through peer education and trainings, advocacy and awareness campaigns at all levels from grassroots to international.

A world where every individual is empowered to exercise their sexual and reproductive health rights equally, free from stigma and discrimination.

Mission To provide our members with the tools necessary to advocate for sexual and reproductive health rights within their respective communities in a culturally sensitive fashion. This is accomplished through building the skills and knowledge of our members, providing trainings on comprehensive sexuality education and other reproductive health issues, exchanging ideas and projects, as well as drafting policies and working with our external partners in order to create change at the local, regional, and international level.

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Objectives To raise awareness on topics related to HIV and AIDS and sexual and reproductive health.

To decrease the stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS. To raise awareness and increase knowledge about facts, scientific research, global agreements and documents concerning sexual and reproductive health.

Promote positive sexuality and healthy sexual life.

Advocating for policies concerning sexual and reproductive health and represent medical student worldwide Collaborate and facilitate joint actions concerning medical education, public health, and human rights.

Provide tools for capacity building for future healthcare professionals in terms of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

HIV and other STIs IFMSA is the part of The PACT which is a coalition of youth organizations to end AIDS epidemic in the Post-2015 Agenda. We are collaborating with Y+, The Global Network of Young People Living with HIV and AIDS to conduct together campaigns for the most important SCORA International Days.

Maternal Health and access to safe abortion: Our aim is to raise awareness among our members about maternal and newborn health issues including topics like obstetric violence, family planning, access to antenatal care and ending stigma and discrimination towards abortion collaborating with our external partners like Ipas

SCORA Programs Gender-Based Violence SCORAngels are committed to fight against violence (physical, mental or social) including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), sexual harassment and domestic violence. We are cooperating with the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace on actions to end human trafficking conducting sessions during our regional and international meetings.

Realizing SRHR The SRHR program has the main goal of creating an empowered society where every individual -regardless their sexuality, gender identity, expression, sex characteristics- can achieve a state of physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing regardless their sexuality are capable of making decisions about their reproductive live

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SCORA focus areas SCORA with a large number of members -SCORAngels- as they are called, have grown wide in its work, centered around five focus areas strongly related to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.

1.

Comprehensive Sexuality Education SCORA is highly committed to raise awareness about sexual and reproductive health through education.

We have immense experience in training new peer educators through International Peer Education Trainings and Advanced Peer Education Trainings. This has subsequently led to a network of peer educators who are actively working to organize events at local, national, regional and international level.

2. Maternal Health and access to safe abortion Our aim is to raise awareness among our members about maternal and newborn health issues including topics like obstetric violence, family planning, access to antenatal care and ending stigma and discrimination towards abortion collaborating with our external partners like Ipas to train medical students as advocates for access to safe abortion.

3. Sexuality and gender identity IFMSA promotes positive sexuality and is one of the first youth organizations officially committed, by accepting Policy Statement, to end stigma and discrimination in access to healthcare of LGBT+ individuals.

4. Gender-Based Violence SCORAngels are committed to fight against violence (physical, mental or social) including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), sexual harassment and domestic violence. We are cooperating with the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace (SCORP) on actions to end human trafficking conducting sessions during our regional and international meetings.

5. HIV and other STIs IFMSA is the part of The PACT which is a coalition of youth organizations to end AIDS epidemic in the Post-2015 Agenda. We are collaborating with Y+, The Global Network of Young People Living with HIV and AIDS to conduct campaigns for the most important SCORA International Days

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International Team Structure SCORA -Director SCORA-D is elected once a year by the General Assembly in the August meeting by the national member organizations (NMOs) of IFMSA. The SCORA-D coordinates the work done by national officers; keeps an overview of the ongoing activities worldwide and offers support whenever needed.

The SCORA-D supports local, national and international projects and promotes those to members and externals. The SCORA-D provides members with information, tools and resources to ensure the aim of SCORA.

SCORA-Liaison Officer LRA is responsible for external contacts to represent SCORA to external partners related to SCORA work.

General assistant The General Assistant will ensure active and consistent communication within the team and with the members. It is the responsibility of the General Assistant to coordinate the international team’s online meetings; ensuring the scheduling, minute taking and proper follow up and to guarantee the team’s accountability through reporting. Additionally, the General Assistant will work on SCORA X-changes closely and thoroughly, ensure some basic publication work and assist the SCORA Director on SC related tasks.

Development Assistant Capacity Building

for

This position has been created in order to analyze and address the capacity building needs of the Standing Committee in an adequate and impactful manner, with regional approach and members inclusion.

This way, apart from centralizing in one person this key aspect of our work; evaluations and internal CB regulations, are going to be centralized too and the RAs can also benefit from the collaboration with this position when needed, guaranteeing the quality of CB spaces such as cooperation between other Standing committees and regions, online CB spaces, international certificated spaces and SRTs.

Development Assistant Member Engagement

for

With the purpose of having members as the center of all IT efforts and placing them at the center of the decision making process, the task division will enable the IT to be constantly reminded of the creation of new opportunities for our members, like open spaces, conversation circles, SCORA activities café, SCORA activities fair and Hackathon and others. The Development Assistant for Member Engagement will also work closely with the RAs

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in the update process for the activation or inactivation process for our NMOs, in addition to contributing to member empowerment.

Moreover, the DA ME will collaborate with PCs in the activities enrolment and programs promotion process and will provide support for regional activities and encourage transregional collaborations between our members and RAs.

Development Publications Management

Assistant for & Media

The Development Assistant for Publication and Media Management (PM DA), will work on the SCORA International Campaigns, promote current international, regional and transregional events as well as focus on the activities SCORAngels conduct.

The PM DA will also be responsible for controlling and coordinating all the SCORA social media platforms, international groups and social networks, in addition to ensuring the visibility of our members’ work. They will be responsible for coordinating our publication designs and coordinating the SWGs for SCORA international campaigns, placing our members in the decision making process. The DA PM will maintain close contact with the DAs, RAs and GA to ensure the inclusion of relevant SC matters in the publications.

Additionally, they will be the main contact between SCORA IT and PRC IT in getting approval for Zoom platforms and publication of publications and infographics for campaigns.

SCORA Regional Assistants

SCORA Regional Assistants (RAs) are the link between the NORAs of each region and all the SCORA IT members.

They are expected to disseminate documents, calls, campaigns, transregional collaborations and share information, initiatives and opportunities within their respective regions. Communication between the RAs and the Director is key in order for the SCORA Director to be informed about what’s happening in each region and assist whenever it’s needed, working together to create regional empowerment and inclusive opportunities for all our members.

The RAs also facilitate discussions within the region, conduct capacity building spaces in national, regional and international levels, such as Online Meetings, online and physical capacity building spaces and are responsible and in charge of the SCORA sessions at their respective Regional Meeting as well as the Regional Sessions at the General Assemblies.

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SCORA National Team 20/21

Shaimaa Adel NORA

Arwa Elbaghdady DA CB

Mahmoud ElWakeel SXC Coordinator

Radwa Tourky HIV, AIDS & other STIs National coordinator

Nada Azam GA

Malak Yasser Adolescents' health National coordinator

Omnia Swedan Family Planning National coordinator

Fayrouz Mohamed DA ME

Mahmoud Abdelnaiem GBV & GE National coordinator

Hagar Moselhy Anti-FGM National coordinator

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SCORA national Team Structure National officer on sexual and reproductive health and rights including HIV and AIDS (NORA) The Standing Committee is coordinated by the National Officer who is elected at the beginning of every year. The NORA coordinates and encourages national and local activities and also responsible for communication with and reporting back to the SCORA-D and the regional assistants.

General Assistant (GA) The GA is the national team member responsible for coordinating the national team OLMs, general publications work(Including the facebook group), sharing calls, working with SWGs on policy documents and Creating /updating a database for possible grants and external opportunities.

Developmental Assistant Capacity Building (DA CB)

for

The DA CB is the national team member responsible for regularly updating SCORA trainers database, Updating SCORA Manual, Assist the NORA in Coordinating the LORAs and national team competency modules, ensuring the alignment of SCORA national TOTs to our regulations and

assisting the NORA proposals for the workshops.

in drafting international

Developmental Assistant for Members' Engagement (DA ME) The DA ME is the national team member responsible for creating open spaces for the members, issuing SCORA newsletter, managing the scoring sheets, buddy systems, create the local databases and assisting the LORAs with members engagement strategies for better members involvement.

SCORA X-change Coordinator SXC coordinator is the national team member responsible for the implementation of the x-change program in Egypt starting from drafting the proposal to SCORA IT, promotion campaign, opening the call for the OC and trainers, Appling to host an SRT with the DA CB, evaluating the whole program and reporting everything to the NORA. National Coordinator The National coordinator is the member of the national team who is responsible for the implementation of a specific project.

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Starting from the proposal drafting, supervising the respective local coordinators , creating CB opportunities, external opportunities ending by the reporting and evaluation process at the end of the term. (The national coordinator is considered part of the SC national team and the PSDD National team)

Assist in aligning the Focus Area with SDGs and Egypt Vision 2030.

Encourage collaborations between LCs with similar community needs and sensitivities. Assist LCs in enrollments of their activities under the relevant focus are. Brainstorm an AWP for activities under the focus area for the term

Focus area Coordinator The focus area coordinator Helps in increasing the visibility of the new IFMSA-Egypt reform particularly in their focus areas. Support LCs with the information and technical help they need to be able to propose and report their activities under the focus area.

Follow-up and monitor all relevant activities under their focus areas. As well as producing a mid year and end of year impact report for the focus area and its relevant SDGs. Plan for all the National activities and initiatives related to the focus area and assist the relevant officer in choosing the activity coordinators and supervising them. Working with IFMSA-Egypt VP and PR on the publicity of activities done under the respective focus area.

Work on the Focus area’s list of topics that will guide the LCs in their activities.

Coordinate any SWG working on manuals/toolkits for the focus area.

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SRHR Introduction According to the UN, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) encompass the right of all individuals to make decisions concerning their sexual activity and reproduction free from discrimination, coercion, and violence.

Specifically, access to SRHR ensures individuals are able to choose whether, when, and with whom to engage in sexual activity; to choose whether and when to have children; and to access the information and means to do so.

SRHR is an umbrella for various issues that affect men and women alike. It represents four separate areas: sexual health, sexual rights, reproductive health, and reproductive rights.

Sexual Rights Sexual Health It is physical, mental, and social well-being in terms of sexuality.

This means safety from sexual illnesses and violence. To combat this, young people need access to comprehensive sexual education to ensure they are engaging in safe sexual practices.

Reproductive Rights These rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health.

They are the ability to decide on your own about sexuality. This means expressing your sexuality by making your own decisions about partners, privacy, and pleasure. Everyone deserves the right to make his or her own sexual decisions, something that is not possible without laws and public support to enforce these rights.

Reproductive Health It ensures a healthy reproductive system and healthy pregnancies through access to healthcare, medication, and education.

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SCORA International Days

Feb-6

Feb-12

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Genital Mutilation: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a collective term for procedures that involve altering and/or altering the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It is an exterme form of gender-based discrimination.To raise awarness for FGM and promote abandonment of FGM coordinated efforts are needed which must engage whole communities.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Day: This day is an opportunity to raise awareness about sexual and reproductive health issues and educate to reduce the spread of STIs.

Mar-8

International Women's Day: It aims at honoring the achievements of women and promoting women's rights and gender equality.

April

Sexual Assault Awareness Month: A month dedicated at raising awareness about issues such as rape, sexual assault and all the other forms of sexual abuse.

May

Aug 1/7

International AIDS Candlelight Memorial: It began in 1983 and has inspired many people around the globe to honor those who lost their lives to AIDS and support people living with HIV on the 3rd Sunday of May. World breastfeeding week It aims at supporting a global breastfeeding culture.

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Sep-28

Oct

Nov

Nov 25

Dec-1

Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion: It has its origins in Latin America and the Caribbean where women's groups have been mobilizing on that day for the last two decades to demand the decriminalization of abortion and the provision of access to legal and safe abortion. Another aim was to end stigma and descrimination towards women who choose to have an abortion.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: The aim of this month is to increase awareness and support for early detection and treatment of breast cancer.

Movember: It started as a charity event with the aim of raising awareness and funds men's health issues, like prostate and testicular cancer

International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women: On the 25th of November 1960, three sisters were assassinated in the Dominican Republic. In the sisters' honor, the United Nations General Assembly designated 25 November the International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women. It aims to raise awareness about violence against women, the consequences of discriminaton against women and impedes progress in many areas.

World AIDS Day: It was conceived and adopted by 140 countries at the World Summit of Ministers of Health on AIDS in 1988. It celebrates progress made in the battle against the epidemic and brings into focus remaining challenges.

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National Projects Anti-FGM Female genital mutilation (FGM) is defined by the WHO as all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The prevalence of FGM in Egypt has been estimated at about 87% among all women aged 1549. The most FGM incidence is unfortunately carried out by healthcare professionals, at an estimated 78%, this is a shocking and severely contradictory number to the sacred job of healthcare professionals to preserve their patients’ health.

Most girls undergo FGM/C between the ages of 7 and 10. There is no medical necessity for any such cutting.

The reasons behind the practice are complex. In some communities, for example, it is believed that FGM means the survivor will preserve her virginity until marriage and keep her sexual organs clean. FGM has no health benefits and harms girls and women in many ways, regardless of which type of FGM is performed. This traditional practice has multiple direct effects on girls’ and women’s physical, psychological and sexual health and violates their rights. FGM is an accepted cultural tradition in Egypt as

well as many other communities so change has to involve the entire community. Religious leaders are open to listening to healthcare professionals about the detrimental effects of FGM on women. As a result, FGM has been declared religiously forbidden in Egypt by Al-Azhar & Dar Al-Iftaa, the two highest Islamic religious authorities in Egypt, which has led to significant differences to Islamic communities where it is believed that FGM had a religious basis.

IFMSA-Egypt is part of the fight against FGM. The Anti-FGM project is one of SCORA-Egypt’s most vital and active projects. It actively works with partners and stakeholders to spread awareness, and advocate for a change, because, despite how far we’ve already come, there’s still a long way to the eradication of FGM in Egypt.

IFMSA-Egypt does this internally via educating medical students with the help of its skilled trainers about the harms of FGM, holding workshops, awareness campaigns and events. As for external activities, IFMSA-Egypt is a major national stakeholder in FGM and conducts many awareness events with partners.

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2020 ‫مبادرة البالطو األبيض ضد الختان‬

Family planning Family planning services are "the ability of individuals and couples to anticipate and attain their desired number of children and the spacing and timing of their births. It is achieved through use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of involuntary infertility. Family planning may involve consideration of the number of children a woman wishes to have, including the choice to have no children and the age at which she wishes to have them.

Access to safe, voluntary family planning is a human right. Family planning is central to gender equality and women’s empowerment, and it is a key factor in reducing poverty. Yet in developing regions, an estimated 218 million women who want to avoid

pregnancy are not using safe and effective family planning methods, for reasons ranging from lack of access to information or services to lack of support from their partners or communities. This threatens their ability to build a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.

In IFMSA -Egypt, as future health care providers we are working on the family planning project to contribute to guarantee a satisfying family life by broadening the scope of family planning to include other different aspects of maternal health.

2021 ‫مبادرة بالطو أبيض لتنظيم األسرة‬

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National Focus Areas GBV and gender equality Gender-Based violence refers to harmful acts directed to an individual based on their gender. It is rooted in gender inequality, the abuse of power and harmful norms. Both women and men experience gender-based violence but the majority of survivors are women and girls. Gender-based violence is a serious violation of human rights and a life-threatening health and protection issue.

Gender-based violence can include sexual, physical, mental and economic harm inflicted in public or in private. It also includes threats of violence, coercion and manipulation.

It is estimated that one in three women will experience sexual or physical violence in their lifetime.

During displacement and times of crisis, the threat of GBV significantly increases for women and girls.

The consequences of gender-based violence are devastating and can have life-long repercussions for survivors.

Gender-based violence undermines the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims, yet it remains shrouded in a culture of silence.

Survivors of violence can suffer sexual and reproductive health consequences, including forced and unwanted pregnancies, unsafe

abortions, traumatic fistula, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, and even death.

According to the UNDP, Gender Inequality Index (GII) which reflects gender inequality in three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and economic activity, ranking Egypt at 108 out of 162 countries. Despite all the substantial improvements in female literacy rates, enrolment rates, labor force participation and unemployment ,there remains a gender gap in favor of males In this focus area we believe we have an important role to play through raising awareness and promoting women empowerment and gender equality which is first and foremost, a human right, violating this right is the root cause for gender-based violence and negatively affects both men and women, thus we can eliminate harmful effects of GBV on individuals and communities.

List of topics for different activities: Sexual harassment and assault.

Gender stereotypes .

Forced marriage.

Gender bias in science/medicine.

Intimate partner violence.

Trafficking.

Honor crimes.

Obstetric violence Women in Leadership.

20 Women Empowerment.

Violence against men.

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SA-Egypt M F I GB X O V H

HIV and other STIs There are more than 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) acquired every day worldwide. This means that each year, there are an estimated 357 million new infections.

This have proven STIs to be considered a major public health concern. STIs have a profound impact on sexual and reproductive health worldwide, ranking in top 5 diseases that adults seek health care for. The fact that the majority of STIs do not present any symptoms and that not everyone can access proper prevention methods nor accurate treatment makes this group of conditions another major medical issue that should definitely not be overlooked.

According to UNICEF, HIV in Egypt is a growing epidemic within the key population. Egypt is reported to have the fastest growing epidemic in the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA) with a 76% increase in the number of cases between 2010 and 2016.

Some health care providers refuse to provide care or services to a person living with HIV or refuse casual contact with them. Considering the crucial situation of STIs especially HIV, lack of education and knowledge on these fields, lack of access to proper testing and treatment and also stigma and discrimination against people living with these infections made us to start working on this issue and introduce it as one of IFMSA- Egypt focus areas.

We as future doctors and health leaders believe that we can play an important role to raise awareness about STIs, prevention methods and early detection. Also, we have an important role in raising awareness among other health care providers to end stigma and discrimination PLHIV are facing and also support them to have access to health services including psychological support .

List of topics for different activities: Stereotypes, stigma and discrimination History taking and terminology High risk behaviors Medical ethics 21 Sex Education and Partner management.

y b t h T e O U T N A S I D D I S A 2 & 021 V I H

Reproductive Health “Reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes.

Reproductive health implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so.”

This focus area aims to address all what’s related to SRHR, advocacy, customs and traditions, how to influence behavioral change, sex positivity, sex education, maternal health, adolescents’ health, etc.

This focus area aims to address all what’s related to SRHR, advocacy, customs and traditions, how to influence behavioral change, sex positivity, sex education, maternal health, adolescents’ health, etc.

List of topics for different activities: Comprehensive Sexual Education Sex positivity Sexual dysfunctions Adolescents’ health Relationships Child abuse Antenatal care Breast feeding Menstrual health and hygiene 22

SXC in Egypt And it is not only about hosting an x change program, it is about sustainability and improvement.

So the last hosting program was opened for 10 national participants not only international ones to ensure the maximum efficiency and a perfect intercultural dialogue between SRHR advocates from all over the world!

of Pharaoh d n a l e h t s n i s t r a he

Ang elic

SXC is a unilateral x change program for IFMSA members focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights including HIV and AIDS, sexuality, gender identity, reproductive and maternal health and other related issues.

The goal of this program is to provide participants with information about the social and healthcare situations of the host country, as well as intercultural education and collaboration.

There are two application periods every year one in January and another in June. The first one is for NMs interested in hosting the exchange from June to November and the second one from December to May. It can be held on three to 4 weeks with activities that may include general sessions, clerkships and trainings. The content of this activities must include at least three of SCORA focus areas.

In order to promote an better integration of the participants there will be also social programs at least four days a week.

IFMSA -Egypt SCORA has remarkable experience in SXC. Egypt hosted 2 x-change programs, the last one was on August 2021!

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How can I get involved in SCORA? Simply through our national opportunities The National General Assembly takes place 4 times each year ,where IFMSA- Egypt members meet, discuss, brainstorm on ideas and learn from various programming sessions. It is important to attend them because they will help you to know more about your committee, your national team and your national officer as well ,and makes you aware of what we reached in the previous period and the upcoming plans. And SCORA sessions in the NGAs is always our safe space to share together everything about SRHR.

3rd N

National GAs

1 2 / 0 2 GA

Winter camp TThe Annual IFMSA-Egypt Winter Camp is the greatest national general assemblies with an extended agenda offering medical students the opportunity to embark on a life-changing journey, where sessions on multiple topics are held back to back, trainings on every different skill is offered and the chance to unite medical students with a different stakeholder in health awaits us.

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SRT (sub regional training) During the pre-winter camp an SRT is usually held and this SRT provides IFMSA-Egypt members (or even members from other NMOs)with the opportunity of attending a workshop that graduates internationally certified trainers having the ability to conduct local, National or international sessions.

SCORA workshops that are provided in an SRT are one of the following: (IPET, IPAS, V2V, HEAT, TACSE, BEAST,..)

0 2 2 0 p o h s k r o w V V2

National TOT (Training of Trainers) The National TOTs are the main cornerstone of Capacity Building because it is the only way for empowering our training force. By attending any of the National TOTs you will be able to share in the movement of change, by being an active SRHR advocate conducting sessions locally or even nationally. These TOTs are usually related to our national projects and focus areas.

T 2 O 0 T 2 g 1 n i n n a l P y l i Fam

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National events National events are a good opportunity to link our mission as IFMSA-Egypt members with reality. They are a good opportunity to work with external partners and reach our stakeholders, exp: UNAIDS, IOM, Y-PEER,....This events helps us to create capacity building events on a wider scope, better visibility and imaging.

Health & protection Training by IOM & UNAIDS 2021

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SCORA International Workshops V2V

HEAT

This training tackles gender based violence from different approaches and angles.

It details the historic aspects and social factors of GBV and introduces a human rights strategy to tackle GBV in different situations, all the while proposing advocacy and other soft skills in the fight against it.

This training has been developed as part of SCORA’s effort in the fight against HIV and stigma as it offers a 3 day cohesive training that tackles the medical, social and advocacy related knowledge in order to shape a new generation of HIV educators that are well aware of the current SRHR challenges it is present and who are ready to be part of the future advocates against HIV.

Ipas This training aims to increase IFMSA members' awareness of, experiences with and ability to effectively advocate for women and adolescent’s reproductive health, especially safe abortion. The focus of this workshop is to advance the development of a network of safe abortion advocates within the federation. The training covers several related topics; for example: human, sexual and reproductive rights; abortion laws and policies; barriers to access care, including stigma; safe abortion methods; and identification and referral of women with abortion-related complications.

IPET International Peer Education Training (IPET targets medical students who would like to develop their skills as peer educators. The IPET aims to empower medical students to further develop their skills in communication and group dynamics while exploring values, attitudes and knowledge in the field of sexual and reproductive health and youth programming in the field of prevention and health promotion.

Generally, the training will be focused on how to approach adolescents, as well as putting special attention to hard to reach youth.

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TACSE This training aims to provide participants with an extensive understanding of attitudes, values and benefits of CSE and to Increase participants' knowledge on CSE session and activities design, adaptation and evaluation. Moreover, it provides participants with knowledge and skills on how to deliver and facilitate a training session on CSE on local, national and international level so that they can start taking a leading position considering CSE advocacy.

BEAST This training aims to capacitate medical students in their knowledge of differences in health care amongst the general population and LGBTQ+ populations, including barriers to health care All the while, deconstructing stigma and discrimination carried by healthcare providers and develop skills which they may incorporate into their daily practice in order to identify and eliminate LGBTQ+ phobia In the hopes of empowering medical students to identify gaps in education and training relating to LGBTQ+ health care, and to engage with appropriate stakeholders in order to address these opportunities for growth.

TSRHRT Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) are essential to guarantee the real fulfillment of human rights and are the basis of sustainable development of societies.

The denial of access to SRHR services results in further perpetuating inequalities and contributing to poverty, especially in girls and women.

Advancing SRHR is essential to achieving Universal Health Coverage, a core of IFMSA’s work and key overarching concept. Thus, skills to display advocacy actions in the field are urgent in SCORA and would be part of the work towards achieving the global priorities for IFMSA. This is the only workshop that focuses on the skills and tools to facilitate sessions on any SRHR topic which would certify SRHR qualified trainers in IFMSA. Those are key components to guarantee our Capacity Building system is sustainable and high quality. Even though those cannot be found in any other SCORA training. Tackling this need, this brand-new training aims to provide a comprehensive SRHR content through a practical approach, by including facilitation notions, session design among other components of non formal education to bring SCORA CB to the next level.

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SCORA in the online Era! There is no doubt that 2020 was a pivotal year in the recent shift from physical activities to online ones. For those who weren’t affected by COVID itself, they certainly were in its aftermath. This pandemic has waged significant uncountable losses on all aspects of life, economically, socially, and more. The lockdowns imposed prior to the widespread vaccination campaigns were especially detrimental to all aspects of SRHR. The pandemic has had its toll on access to family planning services, susceptibility of women and girls to different types of gender-based violence; sexual, physical and financial, harmful practices like child marriage and FGM. However, this hasn’t stopped us from our activities. Because during the pandemic, SRHR needed our advocacy more than ever. Thus, in the following section, we will walk you through the obstacles faced, and methods IFMSAEgypt and SCORA have adopted to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on our work.

Obstacles we faced: 1.Inability to conduct physical events like GAs, workshops, awareness campaigns, etc, or attend them in case of being conducted; due to travelling restrictions and difficulty finding suitable outdoor venues for different events.

2.Difficulty resuming work in the distress, and the novelty of the whole situation due to lockdowns, precautions, and restrictions.

3.Lack of online capacity in many LCs, as they often depended on physical workshops often on college campuses.

Shifting activities online was uncharted territory to many.

How did we adapt to the sudden situation?

As mentioned above, the situation was difficult and mandated a sudden, and pressing shift of all IFMSA-Egypt activities to online setting, which was very difficult due to lacking prior online capacity. However, considering the circumstances, we have handled the shift quite well.

1.Physical events were all held online or in person following all precautions, such as masking and staying at least 12 m apart, and limiting the number of attendees.

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2.All LCs shifted to online meeting platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Discord and others.

3.Continuity of conducting National TOTs using online platforms to maintain the capacity of SCORA trainers in IFMSA-Egypt.

completely halting their functionality as happened in other cases, holding all the meetings online, and working to improve online team work dynamics.

This provided some advantage to physical events as it erased the geographical restrictions we have had previously. Meetings could be held with people from all over Egypt present from the comfort of their homes.

6.Advocacy for SRHR continued throughout the pandemic, just in an online setting, through extensive, improved online campaigns, which now have an incredibly improved publications capacity.

4.Using online engagement tools, and video meetings, we preserved as much human interaction as possible.

They were very useful in sessions.

These tools included Kahoot, Miro, Mentimeter, and others. This is still a process of constant development of both our technical knowledge of such tools, and of the tools themselves as recent global attention has been given to such methods of communication due to the pandemic situation.

7.Some exchange programs were held online like SCORA exchange. This dramatically increased the accessibility to these programs. However, most exchange programs have been resumed.

8.Finally, webinars and open spaces were introduced as an alternative to their physical counterparts, and IFMSA-Egypt has held many of those during and after the pandemic

5.Most projects adapted to the online era and planned on this basis, not

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One huge advantage we’ve gained from this pandemic is that it’s given us space to adapt and rethink our methods. And even after all the restrictions are over, the vastlyimproved publications division, online capacity, and online team dynamics will persist. This pandemic has given us the chance to improve our online capacity and work we have!

Adolescents' & Mental Health Conjoint Online webinar/2021

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Policies

An IFMSA-Egypt policy statement is a document that describes our position reflecting a specific issue that we want to take a stance on as long as it is in line vision and missions, bounded by the constitutions and bylaws.

SCORA in IFMSA-Egypt has 2 adopted policies: sexual harassment policy https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JetO4RL9v p1F1nrrT4A9GmkoRPtfrbqU/view? usp=sharing Anti-FGM policy https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M7MH2nIu 0oBa4YRiim0rp4haZgF1JmJ8/view? usp=sharing

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Local Coordinators'

Kit

Who is a Local Coordinator?

Local coordinator's job description 1- Local coordinator is the head of the project/ activity’s team and is responsible for executing it.

2- Preparing plan of action, proposal and report for the project.

3- Monitoring each phase separately and ensuring the achievement of each objective to achieve the suspected outcome.

4Ensuring smooth transition between the phases of the project/activity with the aid of the local officer.

5- Building capacity for the committee through activities conducted through the stages of the project 6- Continuously being in contact with the national coordinator and following the project timeline.

7- Reporting the stages achieved including the database of participation, feedback and evaluation system used throughout the project to the national coordinator.

What a Local Coordinator should know Plan of action Each project needs a plan of action in order to meet the objectives through detailed action steps that describe how and when these steps will be taken. It is important for credibility, efficiency and accountability.

A well-written project plan gives guidance for obtaining resources. The plan of action should include the estimated timeline for the project, the target group of the project, and a general idea of the phases of the project.

Proposal The proposal should first and foremost include introduction and justification for conducting the project through addressing the problem statement. It should include the goal and objectives of the project. In addition, target group, project team, methodology of implementing the project and expected outcomes. The proposal should include the project

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expected budget, potential partners and the detailed timeline. Project timelines can take many forms, but the standard format for decades has been the Gantt chart. A Gantt chart timeline provides an easy-to-grasp visual depiction of the project.

Reporting Documentation is the most important thing in our work. After implementing your project you need to write a report to document all aspects of the project. The report should include a summary of your project, target group and the exact timeline. It also includes all phases of your project and the methodology of each phase. In addition, the methods you used for monitoring and evaluation, financial report, SWOT analysis and recommendations should be included in your report as well to highlight the areas of improvement.

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LORA's

Kit 16

Who is a LORA? LORA stands for the local officer on sexual and reproductive health and rights including HIV and AIDS. LORAs work at the grassroots level and are in charge of activities on a local level.

LORAs work in harmony with the National team, LORA assistants, local coordinators and active members in order to achieve the objectives and goals of SCORA throughout the year.

They are the link between the local and the national teams and they are responsible to: Give a clear and mind catching introduction about SCORA to the new and old members in their committee to recruit more SCORA interested members and manpower.

Forward all the opportunities and encourage all members to participate in national and international opportunities.

Tracking their core teams and members to keep their maximum performance and make sure they get all the information and skills they need.

Implement suitable evaluation methods for workshops and campaigns.

Assist local coordinators in implementing their projects according to the proposed timelines.

Evaluate and monitor the progress within the committee regarding capacity building and members engagement.

Document every milestone his accomplishes.

step and committee

Send reports and feedback to the national team according to their request or/and the schedule timeline for reporting.

Give a clear and complete handover to the newly elected LORA at the end of the term.

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What a LORA should know Evaluation and Monitoring Continuous evaluation and monitoring helps the LORAs to track their core teams and members accordingly, keeping their maximum performance throughout the year. This could be achieved through: Implementing suitable evaluation methods for workshops and campaigns such as using online pre and post assessment forms and feedback forms.

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Feedbacks from their core teams could be done through individual meetings or feedback forms.

they work as well as each step that you take towards your objectives. The importance of documentation is demonstrated in how it sets the foundation for effective management.

Proper documentation makes it easier to guide and manage the people you work with consistently. Creating the right documents may appear to be an overwhelming task but it is worth the effort to ensure smooth operations.

Every step of activities and projects should be documented according to the way of documentation in your LC and through filling the reports provided by the national team.

Keep tracking the outcomes of each project and activity within their committee.

Feedbacks from participants and teams of each project or workshop.

Documentation Documentation is necessary monitoring all your processes, how

for

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Handover Handover is a really important and essential process for our organization.

The goal of handover is the accurate reliable transition of information through generations, thereby ensuring continuity of effective working.

A good handover will help the new LORAs settle into their position more quickly and easily, and feel more comfortable and confident with the new responsibility.

Handover is the last task of the ExLORA to the LORA Elect and it is the last step in the term. In the handover the Ex-LORA has to inform the LORA Elect about the work requirements, How to deal as a LORA with the local TO and National Team?

The work responsibilities locally and nationally.

Local and national communication channels.

Documentation of the work in the whole term.

How to engage your members?

How to capacitate your members?

The connected partners and recommendations for others.

Capacity building Capacity building allows us to empower our members and find innovative ways to let their voices be heard in order to facilitate their roles as agents of change at the local, national and international levels. Our capacity building efforts offer an

engaging opportunity to empower members with the skills and confidence they need to efficiently carry out the tasks required and other relevant activities.

Building up the capacity in your LC could be achieved through working on: 1-Members (SCORAngles): You members are the backbone of your committee. It does not matter the number of members you have in your committee, the most important is the number of members who actively participate in activities at the local, national or international level .

To get your members involved in more activities, you should know their needs through conducting needs assessment and according to the data analysis you can plan capacity building events for the future.

2-Workshops Workshops are one of the best spaces for capacity building in our committee.

Workshops may inspire participants to further explore on their own. They are a great way to build capacity as they give the members an opportunity to learn in a safe environment. At a local level, this may include: Workshops for each project .

Workshops about any SCORA related topic or any soft skills sessions members may need. For example (SCORA 101 session, introduction to SRHR, How to address sensitive topics and 37 deal with difficult audience )

3-Campaigns You must all be familiarized with campaigns. These are massive, communicative actions that help sensitize a specific target group with a problem we think it’s important for them to know. Campaigns can take different popular elements that we use on a daily basis and we use them in the best ways to create more impact. This could build the capacity of your members in public speaking dealing with the conservative community and getting them engaged with the on ground change.

--To know more and more about our projects, focus areas, policies, national team reports and latest releases, manuals and toolkits, check our SCORA Database: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets /d/1EjNBT1BjVsS4mkcmvbZtC3XIDSi_r2zRrm4yXZ7Seo/edit?usp=sharing

Campaigns at a local level may include: Online campaigns: Regarding online campaigns, we use different social media platforms to introduce the idea of a project or activity. Our target group could be medical , paramedical students or public. You have to build your campaign scientifically based and choose an acceptable way to address the sensitive topics in SCORA .

Physical campaigns Regarding physical campaigns, These could be done in the college, hospitals, clubs or even in the street according to your target group to raise awareness in certain topics. You can use flayers or educational materials with a simple way to clarify the topic .

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Manual Team

Esraa Ahmed

SWG Coordinator

Abdulrahman Mustafa

Heba Elsheshiny

Ammar Saif

Arwa Elbaghdady Editor in Chief

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This is an IFMSA-Egypt production 2021 Contect creator: The Manual Team with the help of SCORA National Team 20/21