FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Washington, DC, August 14, 2023] — Today, in collaboration with the Civil Society Coordinating Group (CSCG) Steering Committee, PAI announced the third and final round of 2023-2024 grants awarded to civil society organizations (CSOs) and youth-led organizations (YLOs) through the Global Financing Facility (GFF) NGO Host program hosted at PAI. PAI will continue to support all grantees throughout implementation. This small grants funding mechanism, supported by the World Bank, aims to increase access to affordable, quality health care for women, children and adolescents and ensure CSO and YLO leadership within the GFF.

The GFF NGO Host disbursed $1.35 million to 28 local organizations in this latest round of grant funding. Cumulatively, 51 CSOs and YLOs in 28 GFF partner countries have received $2.7 million through the GFF NGO Host. More than 85% of the grants have been awarded to organizations across Africa and the remaining awards were granted to organizations in Guatemala, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam.

Established in 2015, the GFF is a multistakeholder partnership that supports 36 low- and lower-middle-income countries with catalytic financing and technical assistance to improve sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition (SRMNCAH-N). Partnering with CSOs and YLOs helps ensure that GFF-funded investments reach marginalized and excluded communities, enabling countries to achieve their goals to advance health and rights for all.

More than half of the grants awarded throughout the three rounds built on existing engagement with the GFF to support country-level SRMNCAH-N efforts. Grants worth more than $1.1 million were also awarded to 25 new organizations in an effort to expand GFF civil society and youth-led engagement. As a result of the GFF’s prioritization of young voices and experiences, 25 YLOs and youth-focused organizations received grants throughout all three rounds of awards, accounting for nearly half of the total funds that were disbursed.

All selected projects focus on any of four subject areas: advocacy on SRMNCAH-N, coalition strengthening, nutrition or sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). However, all projects are intended to successfully plan and execute evidence-based advocacy and accountability activities that ensure national SRMNCAH-N programs are responding to the needs of affected populations, and service delivery is accessible, equitable and high-quality.

The grant provides “the opportunity to coordinate the relevant stakeholders and advocate for domestic health financing to enhance access to SRMNCAH-N services towards improvement of health outcomes in Zimbabwe,” explains Itai Rusike, executive director of the Community Working Group on Health. “The project will help to escalate community voices by sharing views collected through community consultations with stakeholders and to inform high-level advocacy on SRMNCAH-N and domestic resource mobilization with members of Parliament, government officials, United Nations agencies, donors and the media.”

Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG) will use the funding to increase its critical work to strengthen YLOs’ work with the Ghanian government on the country’s investment case, a plan that guides and brings about further funding. “YAG is so grateful for this award because it will also help us to better advocate for improved SRMNCAH-N while also addressing the emerging threat of noncommunicable diseases. Being able to sustain and scale up our activities will help us to reach more people and achieve lasting impact,” says Susan Akanbong, YAG’s program coordinator.

This partnership “brings us closer to our vision of a society where all young people have the right and legal access to information and services related to sexual and reproductive health,” notes Dr. Simon B. Mambo, coordinator for the Youth Alliance for Reproductive Health (YARH). “It is important for us to act now in order to amplify our efforts to meet the challenges that hinder the access of adolescents and young people to sexual and reproductive health services in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

PAI, a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to SRHR across the globe for nearly 60 years, has been administering this GFF initiative. In addition to supporting the small grants mechanism as the GFF NGO Host since May 2022, PAI is providing strategic, technical and institutional capacity-building support to grant partners and the CSCG — a network of 570 civil society and youth advocacy organizations — and fostering learning and exchange opportunities across and among CSO and YLO advocates.

Name	Country	Project Description
Femmes, Santé et Développement (FESADE)	Cameroon	Advocating for meaningful youth participation in GFF processes and monitoring SRMNCAH-N interventions for youth. The project will focus on improving access to SRH services for youth in four districts of Cameroon’s East Region, including building the capacity of local committees to monitor health services and establishing a regional platform for YLOs to monitor the implementation of the GFF investment case.
Deserve	Cameroon	Developing an advocacy tool for improving understanding of youth SRMNCAH-N needs and increasing meaningful youth engagement in GFF processes. The tool will include an overview of policies and commitments around adolescent health, a guide for strengthening youth engagement in multistakeholder platforms and case studies on SRMNCAH-N youth advocacy efforts. The tool will be co-created with youth and CSOs, published in English and French and distributed to at least 40 YLOs working on SRMNCAH-N across Cameroon.
Environnement et Société au Cameroun (ESC)	Cameroon	Developing a community diagnostic tool for identifying the priority needs of youth and adolescents for use in the development, implementation and monitoring of the GFF investment case. ESC will develop the tool in partnership with Cameroon’s civil society health alliance and disseminate the tool both digitally and physically to select organizations operating in communities with limited internet access.
Fédération Nationale des Organisations de Santé de Côte d’Ivoire (FENOS-CI)	Côte d’Ivoire	Building the capacity of community members in four priority regions of Côte d’Ivoire’s investment case to advocate for their own SRMNCAH-N needs. The project with train CSOs and women, youth, religious and traditional leaders in community mobilization, budget advocacy, communication and monitoring and accountability for investments in health.
Association de Soutien à l’Auto Promotion Sanitaire Urbaine (ASAPSU)	Côte d’Ivoire	Improving the understanding of decision-makers about the challenges of implementing universal health coverage (UHC) and advocating for the needs of vulnerable populations to be included under the UHC framework. The project will establish a civil society technical working group on UHC and develop a database of how youth, women of reproductive age and other key populations view UHC.
Coalition des Organisations de la Société Civile pour la Santé de la Reproduction, de la Mère, du Nouveau-né, de l’Enfant, de l’Adolescent, les Soins de santé Primaires et la Nutrition en RDC (COSC SRMNEA-SSP-Nut)	Democratic Republic of Congo	Coordinating advocacy campaigns to increase the budget line for the health sector to at least 15% of the total budget in six provinces, with a focus on reducing infant and maternal mortality. The project will include building the capacity of 120 civil society actors to conduct advocacy, resource mobilization and budget monitoring.
Youth Alliance for Reproductive Health (YARH)	Democratic Republic of Congo	Establishing a task force composed of youth and technical and financial partners to mobilize support for the implementation of North Kivu’s Provincial Plan for scaling up health services for adolescents and youth.
Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG)	Ghana	Strengthening the capacity of YLOs to meaningfully engage in the implementation and monitoring of Ghana’s GFF investment case through training workshops, peer learning exchanges and the development of policy briefs. The project will contribute to increasing evidence-based advocacy around SRMNCAH-N by YLOs.
CIWED-Ghana	Ghana	Creating a stakeholder mapping tool (Net-Map) that allows individuals and groups to understand the relationships between different actors and how they influence outcomes. A key goal of Net-Map is to identify factors that are helping or hindering youth participation and leadership in social accountability mechanisms for SRMNCAH-N priorities. Users will improve their awareness of the SRMNCAH-N environment and develop stronger strategic approaches to networking with other actors.
Organization of African Youth (OAY)	Kenya	Improving collaboration and coordination of YLOs and youth to advocate for the prioritization of youth issues in the implementation of SRMNCAH-N programs. The project will strengthen the capacity of Kenya’s GFF youth coalition to engage with subnational governments in the development and implementation of SRMNCAH-N investment cases and policies.
Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Alliance – Kenya	Kenya	Enhancing coordination and engagement among key stakeholders — including CSOs, policymakers and the private sector — to mobilize additional resources for implementing costed nutrition action plans in four Kenyan counties. The project will include public awareness campaigns and training for journalists to improve public participation in the development of policies and budgets and map stakeholders.
Health NGOs’ Network (HENNET)	Kenya	Developing and implementing a training package for CSOs and YLOs to improve their understanding of the GFF and the role of civil society in the GFF framework. The project will increase the number of CSOs and YLOs conducting advocacy and accountability activities and strengthen their engagements with the Kenyan government on GFF processes.
Public Health Initiative Liberia (PHIL)	Liberia	Building the capacity of the Libera Health CSOs Network to engage with the national government in the development of the GFF investment case and increase funding for SRMNCAH-N. The project will expand the coalition to include more CSOs and YLOs working on SRMNCAH-N issues, strengthen coordination among members and develop scorecards and advocacy strategies for tracking and engaging with the Liberian government around GFF activities.
National Coalition of Civil Society Organizations of Liberia	Liberia	Developing accountability tools to strengthen youth engagement with policymakers and other relevant stakeholders to improve their understanding of GFF processes, including the development and implementation of the GFF investment case. The tools — which will include training modules on advocacy strategies, budget analysis and tracking, effective communication and resource mapping — will be used by CSOs and YLOs to promote monitoring and accountability around GFF processes.
Plateforme de la Société HINA (HINA)	Madagascar	Strengthening the capacity of Madagascar’s CSO GFF coalition to support and monitor the implementation of health policies and programs, including advocating for the inclusion of CSOs and YLOs on the National Committee for the Strengthening of the Health System, which oversees the implementation of the GFF investment case.
Centre Sahélien de Prestations, d’Etudes, d’Ecodéveloppement et de Démocratie Appliquée (CSPEEDA)	Mali	Building the capacity of CSOs to conduct budget monitoring and advocacy within the framework of the GFF. The project will strengthen civil society’s ability to monitor Mali’s investment case and will include targeted advocacy for increasing budget allocations for SRMNCAH-N in nine municipalities in the Koulikoro region, with a special focus on nutrition.
Collectif Tous Unis en faveur de la Nutrition (TUN)	Niger	Advocating for the inclusion of nutrition in the Communal Development Plans and the Annual Investment Plans of 10 municipalities in Niger’s Tillabéri region. The project will mobilize CSOs to engage with elected officials and community leaders, youth, women, people with disabilities and the media to build support for integrating nutrition into health programming.
Coalition des Acteurs pour le Repositionnement de la Planification Familiale au Niger (CAR FP Niger)	Niger	Increasing the level of domestic financing for family planning services in Niger’s national budget. The project will organize CSOs and YLOs to conduct joint high-level advocacy with Niger’s National Assembly, the prime minister and officials from the Ministries of Health and Finance.
Slum and Rural Health Initiative (SRHIN)	Nigeria	Training female leaders in 10 rural communities in Northern Nigeria on how to conduct SRMNCAH-N outreach within their local communities and supporting them to establish women’s groups to build a foundation for collaboration around SRMNCAH-N advocacy. The project also includes the co-creation of advocacy materials on SRMNCAH-N using local knowledge that will be translated into local languages.
Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) or Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HEFRON)	Nigeria	Building the capacity of CSOs and YLOs to actively engage with Nigeria’s SRMNCAH-N multistakeholder country coordination platform and participate in the development and implementation of Nigeria’s Post-COVID-19 Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent and Elderly Health Plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) Strategy (2023-2027). The project includes partner mapping; capacity-building training for CSOs, youth and the media; and the creation of a scorecard for tracking progress on the implementation of the RMNCAEH+N strategy.
Gem Hub Initiative (GHI)	Nigeria	Conducting a case study on the level of alignment among different national and subnational health initiatives and health priorities in Nigeria with global health initiatives. The project will support evidence-based advocacy around the development of Nigeria’s SRMNCAH-N strategies with a focus on meeting the health needs of women, children and adolescents.
Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance	Rwanda	Facilitating learning exchanges for GFF CSO coalition coordinators from different GFF countries to share challenges and best practices around building and strengthening coalitions and conducting advocacy activities. The project will produce a report on best practices and bring together coordinators from GFF countries for an in-person conference in Rwanda for a learning exchange.
Health Alert Sierra Leone	Sierra Leone	Building the capacity of Sierra Leone’s SRMNCAH-N CSO coalition to conduct advocacy, track budgets and hold government agencies and other stakeholders accountable for implementing GFF-funded activities, including the GFF investment case and the SRMNCAH-N strategy for achieving universal health coverage. The project will also raise public awareness of the GFF process and organize CSOs to engage with private sector institutions to increase investments in the health sector.
Health Promotion Tanzania (HDT)	Tanzania	Strengthening civil society engagement in the GFF process by increasing the number of CSOs and YLOs contributing to the development of Tanzania’s investment case. The project will orient CSOs on the structure of the GFF and the role of civil society in monitoring progress and will direct accountability engagements with the Tanzanian government.
Young and Alive Initiative (YAI)	Tanzania	Strengthening youth engagement in GFF processes across five regions of Tanzania by training youth leaders to conduct advocacy, monitoring and accountability activities. The project will also update and launch an online youth forum for facilitating youth engagement in advocacy campaigns.
Center for Supporting Community Development Initiatives (SCDI)	Vietnam	Strengthening communities’ knowledge and participation in improving access to maternal, newborn and child health services among vulnerable populations, including migrants, people working in the informal sectors and people affected by HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. The project will train community-based organizations and networks on documenting access issues and coordinate them to advocate for SRMNCAH-N at the national level.
Community Working Group on Health (CWGH)	Zimbabwe	Strengthening civil society-led advocacy for mobilizing domestic resources for SRMNCAH-N services. The project will improve health literacy among government officials and civil society and establish a monitoring framework for tracking SRMNCAH-N indicators included in the GFF investment case and Zimbabwe’s National Health Strategy.
Lunia Centre for Youths	Zimbabwe	Building the capacity of 20 YLOs to engage in GFF processes and advocate for increased domestic resource mobilization for the health sector. The project will improve understanding among YLOs of how the GFF functions and the role of youth in implementing and tracking the investment case and overall health programming in Zimbabwe.

 

 

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ABOUT THE GFF NGO HOST AT PAI

The GFF NGO Host and associated Civil Society GFF Resource and Engagement Hub are multiyear initiatives to amplify and support CSOs, YLOs and coalitions to contribute to GFF partner country outcomes for SRMNCAH-N. Learn more about the GFF-PAI collaboration.

ABOUT PAI

PAI is a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to SRHR across the globe. For nearly 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the national, regional and global levels. PAI works to advance its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies in the United States and globally and supporting in-country CSO partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. To learn more, visit pai.org.