Insights

Senegal’s newly created health advocacy Network, 3CAP-Sante, held its first annual General Assembly meeting in March 2022. This event in Dakar brought together more than 25 participants, including civil society network member organizations, USAID Senegal Mission staff, representatives from the Ministry of Health, NPI EXPAND staff, other partners. This inaugural meeting also marked a key point in the network’s progression as an impactful advocacy body in Senegal.

Network members presented achievements from the co-creation process, which led to the creation of 3CAPSante in October 2021, and defined the network’s vision moving forward as implementation of advocacy activities begin. of the group’s advocacy efforts will focus on increasing the availability and utilization of high-quality health services, targeting family planning and maternal, newborn, and child health in particular. The leads of the network’s grant clusters provided an update on implementation as part of the meeting, including outlining the network’s advocacy priorities between now and 2024:

1. The application of the 2005 Sexual and Reproductive Health Law. While the law has been passed, several important provisions have not been applied at subnational level. Advocates will focus on ensuring these policies and regulations are applied.
2. Domestic resource mobilization. 3CAPSante will advocate for legal reforms for a disaggregated budget line on health. Emphasis will be on getting youth-specific reproductive health services and programs in the budgetary language.
3. Network strengthening. 3CAPSante will aim to measurably improve the involvement of civil society and community actors in the definition of health policies (priorities, strategies, and funding).
4. Capacity building for advocacy. 3CAPSante will strengthen the capacity of at least 25 CSOs to deliver quality health advocacy, particularly in the areas of maternal, child, and reproductive health and malaria, as well as broader health domains and services.
5. Health financing advocacy. 3CAPSante will encourage authorities and actors to develop sustainable and alternative strategies for financing high-impact health activities.

The General Assembly meeting also focused on NPI EXPAND’s support to strengthen the functioning and capacity of the network through grants. Khadidiatou Aw, the key USAID Senegal Mission contact for NPI EXPAND, expressed the critical nature of this activity in creating a strong, coordinated health advocacy network that can reduce or remove operational barriers to service delivery, contribute to the adoption of supportive health policies and guidelines, increase community engagement, and encourage increased government health financing. Aw noted the network’s focus on family planning, reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health products and services in helping Senegal achieve its health goals.

In addition to the above outcomes, members selected two “Commissaires aux Comptes,” a crucial step in local labor registration to ensure regular audits and to complete the network’s registration process. The network also welcomed two new members, Réseau des Femmes Sénégalaises pour la Promotion de la Planification Familiale (REFESPF) and Centre Jacques Chirac De Thiaroye.

Mingue Niasse, NPI EXPAND Senegal’s Country Team Lead, is enthusiastic for the future of the network. “Over the first year of engagement, we worked with more than 25 civil society organizations to design the structure and activities of this new health advocacy network. As we begin moving into implementation, I see great promise for coordinating advocacy efforts for stronger impact. We have great expertise within Senegalese civil society organizations, and I’m excited to see how they will apply NPI EXPAND funding to achieve their goals.”

The General Assembly was an opportunity for the network’s leadership and members to propose strategies to strengthen collaboration and communication among the network, and provide an update on this new organization’s progress to date. Proposed strategies include centralizing communication and technical management in the Technical Secretariat, the COS taking the lead in guiding health advocacy priorities, and the skills clusters moving forward implementation of health advocacy priority activities.

To continue this progress, 3CAP-Sante will continue seeking entity registration, network members will implement grants from NPI EXPAND around health advocacy, develop capacity strengthening plans for the network’s improved functioning, and plans for a digital advocacy platform will move forward.