African First Ladies Initiative
Cora Neumann, MPH
Honorable Anita McBride
Co-founders
Gery Ryan, PhD
Director, RAND
African First Ladies Initiative
2012
Challenges Facing Africa’s Women and Girls
•
Nearly 500,000 women die each
year from pregnancy-related
causes, the majority of these
deaths are in Africa.
- UNFPA
• Today, 60% of the children unable
to attend school are girls, 40
million of them in Sub-Saharan
Africa.
- World Bank
• HIV rates in Sub-Saharan Africa
average 6%, compared with 1%
worldwide, disproportionately
affecting women.
- UNAIDS
Resources Flowing Towards This Need
• Major shift in global aid focus towards women’s and girl’s issues in developing
countries, particularly in Africa.
Despite this increased resource flow, African women and girls are falling
further behind their Western counterparts.
Resounding Need For Increased Leadership Around
Women’s Health And Education In Africa
Many African First Ladies have the will to help lead this charge
Key First Ladies have demonstrated that
they are:
 Deeply committed to making a
difference
 Focused on women’s health and
education issues
 Want to develop their skills as
leaders, and to impact greater
change
What Makes First Ladies Influential?
• First Ladies have impacts at all levels of society:
• National
• Local
• International
• First Ladies have improved effectiveness
across sectors
• Public
• Private enterprise
• NGOs
Few individuals can impact at local, national and international
levels and across multiple sectors.
To Address This Leadership Need, RAND Launched the
African First Ladies Initiative
Initiative developed in close consultation with African First Ladies
Angola
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cape Verde
Chad
Comoros
Ethiopia
Gabon
Haiti
Kenya
Lesotho
Malawi
Mali
Mozambique
Namibia
Nigeria
Rwanda
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
RAND African First Ladies Initiative
The African First Ladies Initiative has worked with first ladies from across Africa to support
their efforts to become champions of change for the health and education of millions of
women and children across the continent.
I.
African First Ladies Health Summit
II.
African First Ladies Fellowship Program
III.
In-Country Programming
IV.
Global Conferences & Network Development
I.
African First Ladies Health Summit
April 2009: AFLI founder convened the African First Ladies Health Summit
April 2009
• 20 Countries
Represented
• 13 First Ladies
• 7 country
delegates
First Ladies
Delegations
Summit brought First Ladies and global NGO and government leaders
together to discuss First Ladies’ priorities in health and education
II.
African First Ladies Fellowship Program
Together with African First Ladies,
ministry officials, US & UK first lady
offices, and key partners, RAND
developed a leadership program for First
Ladies and their senior advisors: the
African First Ladies Fellowship Program.
Fellowship, launched September 2010, is a mentored, 2-year program, cosponsored by First Ladies, to train chiefs of staff and senior advisors in
methods to:
• Negotiate and define the role of the First Lady and her office
• Assess problems, identify solutions, and shape policy
• Structure and manage an executive office
• Engage national & international public and private stakeholders
24 First Ladies and 36 fellows have participated to-date.
III.
In-Country Programming
AFLI assists First Ladies as they launch and/or strengthen policies
and programs addressing their nation’s top challenges, mainly related to MDGs.
Key examples:
Kenya: Mrs. Odinga and the Global Alliance on Improved Nutrition host a highlevel, global roundtable on nutrition, and collaborate to implement follow-up
programming.
Namibia: Mrs. Pohamba and the Ministry of Health launch a nationwide,
comprehensive PMTCT campaign
Sierra Leone: President and Mrs. Koroma convene USG, USAID,
UNICEF, UNFPA, IRC, MSF, IMC and World Vision to coordinate
the renovation of Mattru Jong hospital and the building of birth waiting
homes in the very underserved South.
Tanzania (in process): Mrs. Kikwete’s office builds awareness and
engages key national stakeholders to support GE’s Healthymagination
maternal health program.
Zambia: The US State Department and Mrs. Banda collaborate to host the
AGOA African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program in Zambia and design
follow-up efforts.
•Additional projects facilitated between First Ladies and CARE, Clinton Global Initiative,
Massive Good, UNFPA, Population Services International, Merck, IPPF, UNFPA, Vestergaard
Frandsen, Komen Global Initiative, Women Deliver, mWomen, Architecture for Humanity and
more.
Case Study 1: Sierra Leone
Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma
• Launched Women’s Initiative for Safer Health (WISH).
• Played pivotal role in adoption of national legislation for
free maternal and under 5 health care. (April 2010)
• Works extensively in remote rural areas to reduce
stigma among local leaders around hospital births.
Mrs. Koroma has risen as a leading African First Lady champion for maternal & newborn health
AFLI is assisting Mrs. Koroma through:
•Assisted President and Mrs. Koroma in convening USG,
USAID, RAND, UNICEF, UNFPA, IRC, MSF, IMC,
Rotary and World Vision in Sierra Leone re: renovation
of Mattru Jong hospital and birth waiting homes.
•Mentoring Fellows to organize more effective office; to engage in policy analysis as they select
causes and programs for Mrs. Koroma to advocate/support.
•Advising Mrs. Koroma on roles she can play to support implementation of universal health care.
•Facilitating partnerships or speaking engagements for Mrs. Koroma with: Clinton Global
Initiative, CARE, UNFPA, Komen Global Initiative, Women Deliver, TED Women, mWomen.
Case Study 2: Namibia
Mrs. Penehupifo Pohamba
•Former midwife and established champion for maternal
and child health in Namibia
•Works closely with Health Ministry
•Advocates for increased nursing training programs
•Office oversees PMTCT programs, community-level birth
waiting centers, maternal and RH education programs
Despite successes, Mrs. Pohamba recognizes need for additional support
AFLI is assisting Mrs. Pohamba and her Office through:
• Mentoring of Fellows in policy analysis, office management, articulation of mission and
annual strategic plan. Currently advising on nationwide PMTCT campaign.
• Based on Fellowship, First Lady submitted domestic policy recommendations to National
Planning Commission for increased support for First Lady’s Office - PASSED in Sept. 2011.
• Advising on MOUs and parameters for partnerships with UNFPA, CDC, UNICEF, WHO.
Affected population: MCH services for 400,000; care for 700 orphans.
• Identifying funders for scale up of successful community-based Birth Waiting Homes.
Case Study 3: Kenya
Mrs. Ida Odinga, Wife of the Prime Minister
•Former teacher and founder of the Kenya League of
Women Voters
•Established champion for girls’ education, women’s
health issues, nutrition
•Works closely with international NGOs to advocate for
increased programming in Kenya
Mrs. Odinga has quickly become a highly visible advocate and recognizes the
need for a coordinated, well-managed platform
AFLI is assisting Mrs. Odinga and her Office through:
• Providing feedback to senior advisors on identification and management of partners.
• Assisted in coordinating Mrs. Odinga’s First Ladies’ roundtable on nutrition, hosted by
Global Alliance on Improved Nutrition.
• Helped match Mrs. Odinga with Global Health Council, CARE, Women Deliver, LitWorld,
Komen Global Alliance, UNFPA for speaking engagements and/or partnerships.
• Exploring potential for national summit, convened by Mrs. Odinga, on nutrition’s impact on
education, economic development and maternal & child health.
IV.
Global Conferences & Network Development
Ongoing:
• Brought key First Ladies to speak or convene roundtables during
UN General Assembly, Global Health Council, Clinton Global
Initiative, Malaria No More, CARE National Conference, UNFPA,
Massive Good, Komen Global Initiative, Women Deliver, Global
Alliance for Improved Nutrition, TED Women, mWomen.
• Working to create regional and global First Ladies action
networks on specific topics.
High-level speakers and advisors involved in African First Ladies Initiative events
or programming include: Ambassador Melanne Verveer, former First Ladies Sarah
Brown and Laura Bush, Anita McBride (Co-Director), Jennifer Klein, Jocelyn Frye,
Admiral Tim Ziemer, Congressman Donald Payne.
Program Successes
1. Raise visibility and
credibility of some of
Africa’s most committed
First Ladies
2. Strengthen the Office of the First Lady, which is resulting in
a. internally developed standards for current and future first ladies
and their offices
b. training next generation of policy leaders in women’s health and
girls’ education
c. increasing impact of First Ladies as champions for change
3. Improved in-country policy and programming related to: a) first
ladies as partners in addressing national challenges, and b) additional
resources and focus on women and girls
Summary
•
Many African nations have an
enormous need for leadership,
particularly in women’s health and
education.
•
Many of Africa’s First Ladies are well
positioned take on these challenges,
driving change and working towards
development goals (MDGs).
AFLI, in partnership with some of Africa’s most committed
First Ladies, aims to meet this need by supporting First
Ladies’ efforts to develop systemic solutions to health and
education challenges in Africa.
Key Advisors and Collaborators
Organizations consulted in the development of the program
American University
CARE
Columbia University
Department of Health & Human Services
DFID
Engender Health
Family Care International
Gates Foundation
Global Health Council
Intnernational Confederation of Midwives
International Women's Health Coalition
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
JHPIEGO
M2M (Mothers2Mothers)
MacArthur foundation
Maternal Mortality Campaign
Nike Foundation
Packard Foundation
Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
UNFPA
US Dept of Health and Human Services
White Ribbon Alliance
World Health Organization
Women Deliver
World Bank
Thank you
For more information, contact:
Cora Neumann, neumannrosner@gmail.com
Anita McBride, mcbride@american.edu
Gery Ryan, gery@rand.org