About

Share-Net Netherlands is the Dutch knowledge platform on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. We are one of 7 country hubs of Share-Net International that implement activities with the aim to make SRHR knowledge accessible and to be a convening place feminists, activists and anyone who is dedicated to fighting for human rights. We are hosted by KIT Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam and are a membership platform. Currently, our members consist of NGOs, universities, knowledge institutes and individuals who are based in the Netherlands but have a focus SRHR in low- and middle- income countries and in the Netherlands.

Our vision 🔮

All people have the freedom of choice, are able to make informed decisions, can take action on their sexual and reproductive health and have access to quality care to meet their sexual and reproductive health needs and rights.

Our mission💪

To strengthen linkages between research, policy and practice through sharing, generating, translating and promoting the use of knowledge for the development of better policies and practices in SRHR.

Our focus 📍

The Network’s focus is on strengthening the role knowledge can play in developing evidence-based policies and practices and ensuring that resources are used strategically and to maximum effect.

Our Structure

Members

Share-Net Netherlands is a membership platform and  has a number of members from NGOs, universities & research institutes, grassroots initiatives as well as a number  individual members, including students. The members form the core of the network and initiate and organise knowledge activities, together with the Share-Net Netherlands secretariat.

Secretariat

The Share-Net Netherlands Secretariat consists of four staff members who work at KIT Royal Tropical Institute. The Secretariat coordinates and implements activities, facilitate CoPs, link members to each other as well as to the other country hubs, work on knowledge management activities and present the SN-NL network internationally.

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee (SC) of Share-Net Netherlands is an advisory body for the Dutch Knowledge Hub within Share-Net International and consists of 7-9 members, representing and mobilising the network members in the Netherlands to discuss critical issues in the SRHR and development field. There is a balance between members with expertise in the SRHR and HIV fields. The SC members represent the diversity of the network and breadth of its members interest.

What we do

Connecting and Convening

A large part of the work of Share-Net is bringing like-minded SRHR enthusiasts together to strengthen relationships and build synergise across the membership. We convene our members both in person and online through different activities such as Communities of Practices, organising thematic expert meetings and at our Annual Members Meeting.

Knowledge Management

A complete jargon term, we know, but knowledge management is the core business of Share-Net. Knowledge management can be broken down into four pillars:

  • Knowledge generation: In short, conducting research to generate data and empirical evidence to fill existing knowledge gaps. We engage with knowledge generation through addressing knowledge gaps within the work that CoPs do and we also have activation grants, where members can receive money to conduct research and generate relevant knowledge.
  • Knowledge sharing: Making sure that information and knowledge is sent out through different channels to reach our membership and the SRHR community overall. We do this through monthly member mailouts, posting regularly on social media and organising events where members and experts can discuss together.
  • Knowledge translation: This is one of our favourite knowledge management tools. Knowledge translation means taking large, clunky research reports and turning the main findings into something easier for audiences to understand and digest. We take data and turn it into an engaging social media campaign, a striking infographic, or a concise policy brief.  The format that the evidence is turned into depends on who we want to read and to use that evidence.
  • Promotion of knowledge use: Having data and evidence is incredibly important but unfortunately the existence of evidence alone doesn’t guarantee that it will be applied to policy and practice. Steps need to be taken to lobby with the people in power so that they use the most recent and up to date evidence to inform the work that they do.