The DHS Program

In line with USAID's Journey to Self-Reliance, the goal of The DHS Program's capacity strengthening strategy is to narrow capacity gaps by equipping in-country partners with the necessary tools and resources while enhancing skills and knowledge for conducting household or facility-based surveys. The DHS Program builds capacity in partner countries to implement, use, and disseminate DHS Program surveys with minimal technical assistance, while maintaining the highest quality.

The DHS Program's capacity strengthening strategy is characterized by the following principles:

• Focus on results. Capacity strengthening efforts focus on achieving specific results related to identified skills and abilities along the survey continuum.
• Country ownership. With a mutual commitment to success, The DHS Program works in partnership with host-country counterparts to enhance local control and ownership. 
• Best practices in learning. Capacity strengthening activities are informed by best practices and grounded in evidence-based research with a focus on blended learning to emphasize on the job learning along with meaningful use of technology.
• Commitment to evaluation. Robust evaluation processes capture successes, identify necessary course corrections, and allow for a continuous culture of learning and improvement.