Call closes March 20 2006 The Regional Network for Equity in Health in east and southern Africa (EQUINET) EQUINET is inviting interested people to apply for a grant to prepare a commissioned paper on district health systems facilitators and barriers to community participation in health. The commissioned author will review and analyse literature and secondary evidence to present evidence and analysis of the current situation with regard to community voice and roles at district level; how district planning, decision making, financing and budgeting, resource allocation, programme implementation enable or block such participation, and how districts articulate and represent community interests at national level. It is hoped that the paper will present positive case studies of community representation and district facilitation of community voice at national level. EQUINET through CHESSORE Zambia and TARSC Zimbabwe has been carrying out work on participatory mechanisms at primary care and district level, and their role in equitable resource allocation and service provision. This work has identified the importance of the district level in providing quality accessible health facilities, orienting services to decentralize support to community levels of health services and articulating the needs of community levels and bringing community voice to national level planning. District level services were found to play important roles, but also to have constraints in this respect, including in their own power, resources, procedures and orientation. To support the EQUINET programme of work and identify areas for follow up and sharing of good practice, EQUINET is commissioning a detailed review and analysis of literature and secondary evidence to present and analyse evidence of the current situation with regard to community voice and roles at district level, how district planning, decision making, financing and budgeting, resource allocation, programme implementation enables or blocks such participation, how districts articulate and represent community interests at national level and to identify positive case studies of community representation and district influence at national level. The review will explore evidence of the current situation with regard to •community voice and roles at district level (how is this structured, through what mechanisms, integrated into planning how etc) •how district planning, decision making, financing and budgeting, resource allocation, programme implementation enables or blocks such participation •how districts articulate and represent community interests at national level. •What positive case studies or examples exist of community representation and district influence at national level •What gaps in knowledge or evidence exist that need further research? It is proposed that the review will be done through analysis and synthesis of pertinent published and grey literature, complemented by key informant interviews within east and southern Africa conducted by phone or electronically. The product should be about 30 pages. It is proposed that the final report be submitted in the mid May 2006. A grant of US $10 000 will be given for the production of the paper. This is an open call. Applications should be emailed to be received by 5pm March 20 2006 with *CVs and contact information including email *The names and contact information of two referees *A list of the three publications that the applicant has produced in an area closely related to that of the Commissioned paper *A sample of a paper written by the applicant in an area closely related to that of the Commissioned paper Applications should be sent to the EQUINET Programme manager, admin@equinetafrica.org with ‘District review paper’ in the subject line. Feedback will be provided to applicants by March 24 2006.