Academy of Educational Development (AED)
Community Advocacy Improves Health Services in Bangladesh AED’s Bangladesh Human Rights Advocacy Project (BHRAP) grantee, South Asia Partnership, partnered with 10 Bangladeshi NGOs to improve government health services in 20 remote Upazillas, after confirming that poor health services were perceived as a major rights violation. BHRAP’s success was due to a strategy that involved using surveys to prepare specific observations and demands, such as the need for X-ray machines and ambulances, planning diagnostic settings for dialogue where hospital authorities and service seekers could sit face to face, initiating informal and frequent follow-up visits to the hospitals to monitor the quality of services, and bringing widespread attention to the cause through rallies and human chains. Coalition members recognized the strength of collective action and now also advocate for women’s rights and land rights and against narcotics smuggling and corruption.
American Refugee Committee
The American Refugee Committee is implementing “Through our Eyes,” a field-based advocacy project that uses video to raise awareness of and prevent gender-based violence in conflict-affected communities. ARC field staff and community members produce local language videotapes on GBV and lead community discussions on the impacts of GBV and on services that empower survivors and their communities.
AWARE-RH
USAID's AWARE-RH program works to improve reproductive health in 21 West/Central African countries. AWARE-RH trains regional organizations/networks and stakeholders to advocate for adopting appropriate treatment protocols, supports parliamentarian networks and ministries to improve laws/policies and regulatory frameworks, and assists country teams to seek increased funding for key health issues
CARE
In Peru, CARE, USAID, and others have successfully increased political will to effectively address chronic malnutrition, which affects 25% of children under five. This advocacy coalition, the Child Malnutrition Initiative, has obtained the new government's explicit commitment to reduce malnutrition by 5 percentage points in the next five years.
With the EL SHAMS project in Egypt, CARE uses a public-private agricultural sector partnership strategy, providing a forum that enables farmers and corporations to voice concerns with policymakers. Farmers have effectively advocated for improvements to support infrastructure. Increased civic activity from women has been a positive side-effect, as women are often included on community boards (see www.care.org.eg).
In the Primero Aprendo program in Central America, CARE and other organizations work in collaboration with education ministers. This has resulted in the signing by the Central American Ministers of Education of a resolution which commits them to advancing programs to ensure the right to education of working children (see www.primeroaprendo.org).
In Togo, CARE’s child labor program has been instrumental in the development and passage of Togo’s New Anti-Trafficking Law. CARE views this work as central to its commitment to working with local partners and protecting marginalized children across the country.
In Haiti, CARE facilitated the creation of a community network of local authorities, police, families, and parents’ associations to support children in domestic service and offer them better living conditions. Through the reinforcement of a local youth club, the project provided psychosocial activities to approximately 350 children.
As part of the EMPOWERS Partnership, CARE aims to improve long-term access and rights to water to under-privileged populations in Egypt, Jordan, and West Bank/Gaza. By increasing stakeholder dialogue with emphasis on right-based approaches, selected government agencies and civil society organizations are better-managing major water resource problems and increasing shared opinions and commitment.
Habitat for Humanity International
In Cochabamba, Bolivia, the local affiliate organized activities to raise awareness about poverty housing. They organized a blitz build which drew in more than 200 students during Habitat’s Act! Speak! Build! Week 2006. They sponsored an exhibit in which students, ages 8-12 designed exhibits around poverty housing. They organized fundraising and awareness activities in local high schools.
Mercy Corps
Over the past several months, Mercy Corps has been working on a paper that uses the lens of our experience in Kosovo to shed light on some of the issues of greatest importance as the region’s final status is determined in the coming months. The actual publication and major advocacy push will be closely linked with status determination date, but field staff are already discussing recommendations with key groups in Kosovo and finding receptive audiences.
With Mercy Corps’ study, “Lessons for Kosovo’s Next Transition” (January 2007), field office staff are making experience-grounded recommendations to local policy makers, U.N., and NGO actors needed to ensure sustained peace as Kosovo’s final status is determined in early 2007. Advocacy efforts will continue during status implementation, including with the new EU planning team. More information at: www.mercycorps.org
Population Action International
PAI's partner RFSU, the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education, is hosting a December workshop in Tanzania. The focus is to train organizations working in Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda to map the reproductive health supply situation (such as condoms and contraceptives) and to advocate for RH supplies, a long-time advocacy and research interest of PAI's.
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