Strengthening capacity and advocacy for advancing gender-responsive care systems in Africa

National and local policy actors in sub-Saharan Africa frequently face limitations in accessing data and evidence, interpreting research findings, assessing their implications and evaluating available options alongside the cost of inaction. These limitations hamper progress in advancing effective care policies and practices. Similarly, gender advocates and women’s rights organizations often lack the capacity and resources to leverage evidence effectively in their advocacy efforts.

This project aims to strengthen the capacity of key stakeholders — policymakers, women’s rights organizations and media outlets — to advocate for and implement transformative care systems across sub-Saharan Africa. It will target 100 policymakers and government officials in Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania and Senegal for training in care systems, gender equality and economic transformation. It will provide training and mentorship for representatives of women’s rights organizations and care advocates focused on strengthening macro-level analysis skills, interpreting the latest evidence on care for uptake drawing from IDRC-supported research and building networks to advocate for care policies and programs. The project will also involve media training for 27 media professionals across the continent and ongoing peer-to-peer and group mentorship beyond the module.

This project is funded under the Scaling Care Innovations in Africa program, a five-year partnership between IDRC and Global Affairs Canada aimed at scaling tested policy and program innovations that foster the recognition, reduction and redistribution of women’s unpaid care work in sub-Saharan Africa. It harnesses locally generated data and evidence to guide care policies and interventions with the goal of improving the lives and livelihoods of marginalized women and girls.