Leading the Charge
Reproductive Health Advocacy Partnership
Malawi, Zambia I 2016 - 2028
The Reproductive Health Advocacy Partnership supports civil society organizations in Malawi and Zambia to influence funding and policy decisions on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Our approach centers locally led advocacy driven by community perspectives; strategic litigation that enables all people to enjoy their rights as guaranteed by law; closing funding gaps for essential SRH services; and building institutional resilience of civil society organizations and enhances accountability mechanisms.
To date, the program has awarded more than USD$1.5M in funding to support civil society organizations and their advocacy and accountability priorities.
RHAP has awarded more than $1.5 million to support the advocacy work and organizational capacity strengthening of our partners.
Why It Matters
Nearly half of all pregnancies in Malawi and more than 40 percent of pregnancies in Zambia are unintended.1, 2 The burden of maternal mortality remains high in Malawi, with more than 300 women per 100,000 live births dying annually from preventable causes.3 Policy barriers further threaten progress toward universal access to family planning; contraceptive commodities; safe, legal abortion; and adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health services. PAI’s approach allows our partners to adapt quickly, innovate, and sustain advocacy that drives long-term change. By investing in local leadership and strengthening civil society capacity, we position communities to influence the policies that shape their health and futures.
Our Approach
- Strengthen local organizations with technical support, resources, and collaboration to sustain long-term advocacy.
- Equip advocates with evidence and communications strategies to shift public dialogue and influence decisionmakers.
- Support youth-led and community-driven efforts that hold governments accountable for responsive reproductive health services.
- Advance equity by addressing systemic barriers and ensuring policies and programs meet the needs of marginalized groups.
Our Impact
Together with our partners we have:
- Trained hundreds of journalists and editors on evidence-based abortion reporting, raising awareness of and improving accurate reporting on the Termination of Pregnancy Bill and engaging faith communities on the public health impact of unsafe abortion, in partnership with Banja La Mtsogolo (Malawi).
- Influenced policies that allow young people to distribute condoms and emergency contraception within their communities. PAI partnered with Pakachere Institute of Health and Development Communication (Malawi) to equip youth advocates with the skills to demand youth-friendly services and address contraceptive stock-outs, resulting in this cost-effective and responsive policy change.
- Expanded Copper Rose Zambia’s national advocacy capacity for adolescent SRHR, menstrual health, and provider training by advising in the development of its first five-year strategic plan.
- Influenced updates to Zambia’s national Reproductive Health Policy and simplified abortion approval requirements through the leadership of the Centre for Reproductive Health and Education (Zambia).
- Launched nationwide disability-inclusive job aids alongside new Disability Services Centres of Excellence in partnership with Marie Stopes Zambia. These job aids will help family planning service providers better serve their clients with hearing impairments.
Our Coalition Partners
- Advocacy Accelerator, Kenya
- Afya na Haki, Uganda
- Banja La Mtsogolo, Malawi
- Centre for Reproductive Health and Education, Zambia
- Copper Rose Zambia,
- Marie Stopes Zambia
- PAI, United States
- Pakachere Institute of Health and Development Communication, Malawi
- Regenerate Africa, Uganda
Learn More
Contact us: info@pai.org
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