Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health
MNCH Health Systems Strengthening Interventions
Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health
MNCH Health Systems Strengthening InterventionsAdvocacy
Driving Policy, Resources, and Action
Advocacy for maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) is a powerful strategy for influencing policies, programs, and public opinion in ways that create an enabling environment for improved health outcomes. It involves the strategic use of evidence and lived experiences to inform and persuade decision-makers, opinion leaders, and communities to prioritize and invest in MNCH. Advocacy efforts can be directed at all levels of governance – from national ministries and parliaments, to local governments, health facilities, and community structures.
MNCH outcomes are shaped by a broad range of social, economic, educational, environmental, and political determinants. Addressing these complex and interrelated factors requires a collective and multisectoral approach. Effective advocacy brings together stakeholders from health, education, gender, finance, civil society, and community-based organizations to co-create and implement inclusive and sustainable public policies.
This section of the toolkit provides guidance on how to develop and implement advocacy strategies that influence policies, increase financial commitments, promote accountability, and ensure that women, newborns, and children are at the center of public health priorities. By strengthening advocacy capacity at all levels, stakeholders can contribute to lasting improvements in health systems and equity for MNCH.
What Are the Benefits of Strengthening Advocacy?
How to Implement
1. Build an MNCH Advocacy Network
Engage a diverse group of champions, including civil society organizations (CSOs), community leaders, influencers, and gatekeepers, to strengthen accountability and local ownership of MNCH programs.
2. Define Your Advocacy Objectives
As a group, decide what MNCH issue or change you want to influence – this could be related to resource mobilization, consistent supply of MNCH commodities, or prioritization of MNCH in local or national health plans.
3. Identify and Understand Key Decision-Makers
- Determine who has the power to make the changes you are advocating for – this may be at the national, subnational, facility, or community level.
- Decide on the best approach and timing to reach and influence them.
4. Craft Targeted Advocacy Messages
- Tailor messages to each decision-maker’s interests and priorities.
- Use a combination of data, evidence, and compelling stories to make your case.
5. Develop an Action Plan and Budget
- Work with your advocacy group to create a clear plan of activities, roles, timelines, and costs.
- Share the plan with stakeholders for input and alignment.
6. Monitor and Adapt
- Regularly evaluate your progress toward achieving your advocacy goals.
- Be ready to pivot your strategy based on changing contexts or feedback from decision-makers and communities.
What's the Evidence?
Evidence from TCI-supported family planning programs shows that targeted advocacy works. In Francophone West Africa, a total of $272,240 was committed by the National Program for Maternal and Child Health (PNSME) in Côte d’Ivoire to family planning programs of the cities of Anyama, Cocody, Bingerville, Daloa, Vavoua, Korhogo, Mankono, and Séguéla to purchase contraceptive products that the PNSME will make available to the Health Districts for the organization of Family Planning Special Days (FPSDs).
In East Africa, advocacy focuses on prioritizing high-impact interventions and allocating resources for their implementation. Engagements with high-level subnational leadership, both political and technical, ensure interventions are mainstreamed within annual work plans year after year, and domestic resources are mobilized for implementation. In fiscal 2023-24, $2.3 million was committed, and 62% was mobilized for expenditure. In the current fiscal 2024-25, 98% of TCI-supported local governments have made a financial commitment for implementing high-impact interventions totaling $3.6 million – a 60% increase from the previous year’s commitments.
Key Indicators
- Number of advocacy core group meetings where MNCH issues and priorities were shared with the government.
- Number of MNCH champions created within the health system and the community.
- Inclusion of MNCH budget lines in workplans.
- Â Increased allocation of local government MNCH funds.
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Tips
- Advocacy efforts to government leadership should support the inclusion of MNCH in national and subnational policy and costed implementation plans, as well as the availability of qualified providers, sufficient supplies, and equipment in facilities.
- NGOs and CBOs can play an important advocacy role and influence decisions at the national and subnational levels by demonstrating the effectiveness of implementing proven interventions that can be scaled.
- Bringing government leadership to the facility and the community helps them see the challenges on the ground first-hand and is a good advocacy strategy for ensuring their engagement and commitment to MNCH.
- Training advocacy group members helps them to ensure that they have the necessary skills to advocate and tailor appropriate messages to the right audiences.
Challenges
- Government priorities, as well as government resources, can shift away from MNCH (e.g., if there are emerging threats such as pandemics or natural disasters). Advocacy efforts should focus on ensuring that MNCH remains a priority and that strategies for reaching goals are clearly communicated with all actors.
- Advocacy requires time, resources, and the availability of government leaders. It is therefore important to plan advocacy activities in advance.
Key Resources
- Develop a Strategy, Advance Family Planning 2013
- SMART Advocacy. Advance Family Planning 2023
