As countries shape their GC8 proposals, there is no shortage of ambition. Priorities are clear. Data is available. Commitments to equity and inclusion are strong. But there is one place where all of this is truly tested: the budget. Because at the end of the day, budgets tell the real story. They reveal what is prioritized, who is reached, and whether health systems … [Read more...] about Budgets Tell the Real Story: Why GC8 Matching Funds Must Deliver for Women, Systems, and Sustainable Impact
Country Voices
Gender-Transformative Health Financing: Achieving RMNCH Outcomes in Africa
The budgets didn't see women in Africa. Here's how we are changing that. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) carries 70% of the world’s maternal deaths. The solutions are known. What is often still missing is a financing architecture that can see who is being left out – by sex, by location, by income – and route resources accordingly. With external aid – historically ~40% of health … [Read more...] about Gender-Transformative Health Financing: Achieving RMNCH Outcomes in Africa
Scaling Up Service Quality Assessments (SQA) for Community Health in Zambia
Despite the inclusion of Service Quality Assessment (SQA) tools in the Ministry of Health (MoH) Quality Improvement and Quality Assurance (QIQA) guidelines, their operational use to monitor compliance with service delivery standards has remained limited—particularly in Community Health. Recognizing this gap, the Community Health Unit, with support from the Financing Alliance … [Read more...] about Scaling Up Service Quality Assessments (SQA) for Community Health in Zambia
Senegal’s Leadership in Tackling Gender Inequalities Among Community Health Workers
Senegal is showing bold leadership in its commitment to building a more equitable and effective health system—by directly confronting gender inequalities faced by frontline community health workers. In a groundbreaking initiative, the Ministry of Health and Social Action (MSAS), with technical support from the Financing Alliance for Health (FAH), conducted a national gender … [Read more...] about Senegal’s Leadership in Tackling Gender Inequalities Among Community Health Workers
ABOLISHING USER FEES: A GENDER IMPERATIVE IN A CHANGING AID LANDSCAPE
At a rural clinic gate, a mother waits with her feverish child. She has walked for hours, but the nurse cannot admit them. The reason is not lack of compassion or clinical skill, but money: without user fees, there will be no consultation, no diagnosis, and no medicine. This scene is a recurring tragedy across many countries, and one that disproportionately hurts women and … [Read more...] about ABOLISHING USER FEES: A GENDER IMPERATIVE IN A CHANGING AID LANDSCAPE