12. Background of Research

Voice capturing synonymously used as 'collection' also in this report, is relatively a new concept in right-based approach of development. Some people call it 'voice monitoring' and in this project, it was coined as 'voice monitoring' but while implementing the project, the EAP stakeholders preferred to call it 'voice capturing' instead of monitoring on the ground that this project focuses more on collection of the voices rather than monitoring them.

Voice refers to both capacity of people to express their views and the ways in which they do so through a variety of formal and informal channels and mechanisms. This refers primarily to the efforts of the poor to have their views heard by more powerful decision makers (Goetz and Gaventa, 2001), The terms of reference (ToR) to the voice capturing organisations (VCOs) denote voice capturing as the collection of citizens' voice to the various ways that citizens and organized groups place pressure on service providers and policy makers (this is sometimes referred to as client power) to demand better services. This includes: complaints, protests, lobbying, participating in management committees and existing public services and establishing alternatives. Voice capturing is a concept and process to reveal inherent situation of the voiceless. It is an awareness and demand creation among the stakeholders including the poorest and excluded. It is therefore, voice is a concept; voice is a demand.

Voice capturing is simply understood as collection of a person's aspirations, thoughts, perceptions, outlook, comments, complaints and suggestions of service receivers who are women of mostly reproductive age, and service providers who are community health workers, volunteers, paramedics, nurses, physicians and management committee members. Both parties have expressed their feelings, thoughts and perspectives on the services related to safe motherhood and neo-natal health. It is a process documentation which records major concerns and complaints of the 'service receivers', mostly the women who received services from the health facilities and the 'service providers' who work on behalf of the health facilities. In addition, it has extensively explored and recorded the untold stories, eavesdropping comments and remarks from both the sides.

The rationale of voice capturing was to advocate safe motherhood as the 'rights of women' with the evidences from the ground and ultimately influence on the policy changes at various levels as required. This was an utmost need because despite government's and international agencies' (operating in Nepal) high priority, the maternal and child mortality remains (281 and 33 respectively) one of the highest in the world (MOHP et al, 2007). The death rates are extensively high in the rural and inaccessible areas. Services are scarce in-house and traditional beliefs are strong which restricts to seek care of available facilities. The health care practices are proven wrong because the high percentage of mothers die even after successful deliveries.

More importantly, safe motherhood is a woman's right. There are more than nine conventions and respective declarations on human rights listing to assure the women's reproductive rights. The declarations list that a couple or individuals to enjoy the highest standard of reproductive health; be able to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence; and decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children, and to have the information and means to do so (Rashid 2005). To assure a woman's reproductive rights, it was an utmost need to record the 'right holders voice' to understand the underpinning issues in it and disseminate them further for advocacy and policy changes in a larger forum.