AT A GLANCE: 2023
5 new members
£90,000 raised
2 Ministerial Roundtables
23 meetings
6 dialogues on the UHC High-Level Meeting
4 policy papers
1 million impressions
388 campaign letters
MEET OUR NEW MEMBERS
Amref Health Africa
Creating lasting health change in Africa
Amref is the largest Africa based international health development organisation delivering health services and training over 30 million annually in 35 African countries. Amref’s vision is to create lasting health change in Africa by catalysing and driving community-led and people-centered primary health care systems while addressing social determinants of health and transform the health of communities in Africa through investing in the health and lives of women and young people as agents of change in African communities.
Malawi Health Equity Network
Promoting Health for All People in Malawi
MHEN is an independent, membership non-profit making alliance of over 90 civil society organizations (in the health sector throughout Malawi advocating for equitable access to quality, affordable and responsive health care services in Malawi. MHEN advocates and lobbies for health systems that promote the delivery of equitable and quality health care services by influencing policy and practice through research, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation.
SCIDAR
Solina Centre for International Development and Research
SCIDaR is a Nigeria-based non-profit organisation dedicated to the research and development of evidence-based approaches for implementing high-impact health, economic, and social interventions in Africa. Our over 300 experienced professionals consistently deliver the highest quality of service to our clients and partners, including businesses, governments, researchers, and development organisations, and we develop innovative solutions that address pressing healthcare and social challenges in Nigeria and across Africa.
TUHEDA
Tanzania UK Healthcare Diaspora Association
TUHEDA was established to facilitate the relief of sickness and preservation of health of the people in Tanzania and United Kingdom through collaboration in healthcare provisions between UK and Tanzania, providing or assisting in the provision of medical equipment in Tanzania and organising seminars, conferences and training for healthcare professionals and the public.
The Leprosy Mission
Leprosy defeated, lives transformed
“We are a global Christian organisation leading the fight against leprosy. Following Jesus Christ, we seek to bring about transformation; breaking the chains of leprosy and empowering people to attain healing, dignity and life in all its fullness. No one should suffer because of a preventable and treatable disease. We work with people of all faiths and none to defeat leprosy and transform the lives of people affected.”
Are you a global health civil society organisation or network based in a low- or middle-income country? Do you represent a diaspora organization based in the UK? Are you an individual or community with lived experience of health inequities?
If so, we’d love to hear from you! Find more about the benefits of joining our network here.
Our 2023 Timeline
-
January 1, 2022
JANUARY
Hosted roundtable with Minister Mitchell on ‘Ending Preventable Deaths’
-
February 1, 2022
FEBRUARY
Explored One Health approaches with UK Government
-
March 1, 2022
MARCH
Launched our Global Health Charity Show on UK Health Radio
-
May 1, 2022
APRIL
Celebrated World Health Day with our 2023 Film Festival
- May 1, 2022
-
June 1, 2022
JUNE
Hosted dialogue on ambitions for COP28
-
July 1, 2022
JULY
Fed into negotiations on the Political Declaration on Universal Health Coverage
-
August 1, 2022
AUGUST
Submitted evidence to the White Paper Consultation
- September 1, 2022
-
October 1, 2022
OCTOBER
Identified opportunities for progress on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
-
November 1, 2022
NOVEMBER
Launched our brand-new Instagram account
- December 1, 2022
“We have valued our engagement with Action for Global Health throughout 2023. This included a range of events, from our general quarterly roundtables to policy- and event- specific discussions.”
– Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2023
Our UK & Global Health Equity Advocacy
“The Universal Health Coverage campaign was great because the messaging aligned with our vision for resilient systems that sustain good health, so everyone everywhere can reach their full potential.”
– AfGH Member
Our UK, Climate Change and Global Health Equity Advocacy
“AfGH’s diverse membership influences UK actions and commitments by fostering connections with communities most affected by health disparities, ensuring their voices are heard and included in our collective advocacy efforts, thereby making it more impactful and representative of the real needs of communities.”
– AfGH Member
Health Systems Strengthening
In 2023, we agreed the following priorities for our health systems strengthening advocacy:
Collaborating with Our Members
“The UK Health Radio Show provided a good opportunity to showcase our work on UHC and reach a new audience. The regular updates are particularly useful to connect with other members and share learnings around comms and campaigning best practices and opportunities.”
– AfGH Member
Social determinants of health
We will increasingly advocate for the UK to tackle the social determinants of health to improve health equity globally. This emphasis is underpinned by wide research showing that these determinants can be more important than healthcare in determining health.
Diversifying our network
We will continue to prioritise proactively reaching out to LMIC-based organisations, regional health networks and UK diaspora groups to expand our network membership and centre people and communities with lived experience of health inequities.
Anti-oppressive approaches
We will launch our anti-oppression framework in 2024, ensuring that our work is underpinned by our health equity principles.
Credit: Unlimit Health/Paula Plaza
In May 2023 we launched our Volunteer Contribution Policy after consulting with network members on their policies, people with lived experience of health inequities who have contributed to our work and seeking tax, employment and charity law legal advice. The policy is instrumental in centering the voices and experiences of people living with or communities affected by health inequities across all areas of our work by compensating the financial and opportunity costs incurred by voluntary contributors to our work.
“It has been incredibly impressive to learn about the process AfGH undertook to develop its Stipend [Volunteer Contribution] Policy, which provides valuable learnings for organisations in the membership trying to do the same.”
– AfGH Member
OUR PEOPLE
Secretariat
OUR STEERING COMMITTEE
Credit: Ngunan Aloho
MEMBERS, FUNDERS AND PARTNERS
“We are very grateful to our members, funders and partners who have helped us grow and mobilise global health civil society over the past year. A special thank you to STOPAIDS for hosting the network and supporting the AfGH team, and to Students for Global Health who partner so closely with us.
We are also particularly grateful to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for their continued support of our work.”