Private Health Sector Engagement in Gender-Based Violence Service Delivery: Lessons from Tanzania

Private sector health providers often see clients who are survivors of gender-based violence, yet the majority of providers do not have access to the training, equipment, and support they need to provide survivors with appropriate screening, care, and referral services. The Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus project, in coordination with the Tanzanian government, engaged private sector health providers in training and informal networking to support their provision of gender-based violence services, offering the providers a valuable opportunity to enhance their skills to address a major contributing factor to poor health. SHOPS Plus conducted a learning assessment 15 months after the training program and found that providers feel motivated to offer gender-based violence services, but they face obstacles as private providers in a public sector-dominated health system. This brief summarizes the pilot project, shows how global lessons in gender-based violence service delivery relate to those learned in the private sector in Tanzania, and provides recommendations to facilitate the integration of gender-based violence services into the private sector in Tanzania and globally.

Source: USAID-funded SHOPS Plus Project led by Abt Associates (2021)