Decades of investment have had tremendous impact in reducing maternal and child mortality, but too many children under five are still dying and many mothers still face grave risks to their own health. To turn commitments into actions that breakdown barriers to maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services, policymakers and health officials need accurate data. By tracking, analyzing, and presenting data on the reach of lifesaving interventions and solutions to overcoming barriers, advocates are an essential bridge between community, policy, and action.
Advocates at PATH and our partners rely on data when advising decision-makers to craft evidence-based policies and commit resources to strengthen MNCH program design and implementation. But the task of analyzing and presenting health data from subnational to global levels can be challenging.
“It is important for us to create a space and a common understanding of what commitments are, what they mean, and how can we participate in the process to help move closer to achieving targets.”— Cornelia Asiimwe, Executive Director, Samasha Medical Foundation
Advocacy dialogues and collaborative tools
That is why data was the focus of a two-part session in our Africa regional MNCH advocacy dialogue series. We convened local advocates, global health leaders, country technical leaders, and others to highlight tools that can help monitor and translate MNCH data for advocacy. More than 200 advocates attended, representing 36 countries—21 in Africa.
Our featured panel of experts from PATH, AlignMNH, Africa Health Budget Network, Samasha Medical Foundation, and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (PMNCH) shared tools and tactics designed to build capacity and efficiency for MNCH advocates including:
- The Motion Tracker developed by Samasha Medical Foundation, which offers a customizable, dynamic framework for advocates to keep commitments visible and highlight progress while fostering partner participation, engagement, and ownership. The tool prioritizes transparency and collaboration and streamlines guidance through six steps to greater accountability.
- PMNCH’s Digital Advocacy Hubs to encourage collective action by convening advocates from around the world. Virtual hubs bring voices and resources together and provide convening platforms for several different constituencies, such as youth advocates, nongovernmental organizations, and more. So far there are country-specific hubs for 10 African countries, so that users can share and access tailored resources and work together in those countries.
- An accountability scorecard model, shared by the Africa Health Budget Network, to track budget commitments at country and global levels for investments in nutrition, family-planning, immunization programs, and more. Scorecard indicators also help advocates track progress across several issues related to policy implementation, from inclusive representation in decision-making to transparency and patient satisfaction.
- PATH’s 10-part Framework for Advocacy Strategy Development which helps new and experienced advocates assess policy advocacy options, plan goals and activities, and develop a comprehensive plan. This adaptable framework provides templates and tools in English and French and prioritizes collaborative strategy-building based on local expertise and context. PATH also shared their Capital to Clinic tool, an actionable guideline for advocates and decisionmakers toward leveraging data and ensuring accountability throughout the policy process.
- PMNCH’s Collaborative Advocacy Action Plans, developed alongside diverse coalitions of country partners, which are a framework to drive coordinated action for accelerating MNCH outcomes across stakeholders to improve accountability.
“Advocates serve as the primary drivers and decision-makers on health systems solutions. Communities and individuals must have the capacity to impact and drive their own health outcomes.”— Wanjiku Manguyu, Regional Advocacy and Policy Advisor, PATH
Action on accountability
These tools can help advocates hold decision-makers accountable. At the same time, advocates must also be accountable to the communities they support, as they serve as the bridge between the needs of communities and the policies developed to meet those needs. It is vital that advocates collect and leverage local data as part of their advocacy strategies to ensure that the voices and experiences of families are represented in the clinical and preventive care that they receive.
Our webinar participants reflected the urgency and appetite for partnership and a collective voice for MNCH advocacy. Building on this interest, PATH is bringing partners together to produce messaging and tailored advocacy strategies at country and regional level.
The MNCH advocacy agenda is bigger than any single institution or individual, and collaboration among advocates and policymakers is crucial to achieve progress. As a convening organization, we are building a movement for advocacy partners in Africa, disseminating tools that make advocacy actionable, and creating platforms for collaboration. We hope you’ll join us in accelerating health outcomes for women and children across the continent.
