UHC Day: Peer to peer learning event

With the clock ticking to 2030, it's now 7 years to go. Across sub-Sahara Africa, civil society organisations, media and governments are playing an important role to promote accountability reminding political leaders to deliver on promises. The promises that will make healthcare accessible, affordable and designed to respond to unique needs of women, girls and babies.

On Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day in 2022, peer Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and media came together and shared a platform to learn from each other's best practices, lessons, experiences and challenges when pushing for the health for all agenda by 2030 in Nigeria and Kenya. 

Approaches that work!

These advocates engage governments on local priority issues affecting women, girls and babies in their geographies.  In the webinar, they outlined effective evidence based advocacy approaches which promote processes to gather, package and use evidence to influence how available resources are best utilised for improved health outcomes. 

From Kaduna to Yobe States in Nigeria, Nairobi City to Bungoma Counties in Kenya, advocates have been effective in holding political leaders and other decision makers accountable. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), media and governments have organised themselves in coalitions.

It is through this coalitions that they now have more power and voice at the decision making table, where they get to share evidence on key indicators on the health of women, girls and babies making a case to equally powerful decision makers on how resources should be used with a goal of saving lives. 

During the webinar, these advocates had an opportunity to discuss their journey and experiences building sustainable coalitions. Looking into the future, they boldly express their opinion on effective funding models and what localisation means for them- ideally putting in a strong case on why local grassroots civil society organisations across sub-Sahara Africa should be supported to access resources that would enable them advocate and make health for all a reality. 

Gender Transformative Advocacy

Notably, these advocates identified a key learning opportunity for all of them. Implementing gender transformative advocacy which would enable them create a space which positions women and girls at the core of their advocacy, actively challenge existing gender stereotypes, end all forms of discrimination and promote participation & voices of women and girls as we march towards Health For All by 2030. 

You missed the event or you would like to be part again?

This event took place on 12th December 2022, as part of the global Universal Health Coverage Day campaign. We have made the video recording (at the top of the page) available to watch, incase you missed it or would like to be part of it again. 

 

Questions & collaboration opportunities?

In case you have questions or are thinking of future opportunities to collaborate please write to our team through the Advocacy Communications Advisor, Meshack Acholla: m.acholla@options.co.uk 

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