Launching the GFF x CIVIC VOICES Project
Civil society and youth-led organizations are essential partners in improving health and nutrition outcomes for women, children, and adolescents. Yet too often, barriers to participation limit their influence.
The World Bank Group’s GFF × CIVIC Platform – a joint initiative of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF) and CIVIC: The Civil Society and Social Innovation Alliance, works to help close that gap.
Through its first pillar, the initiative is supporting a consortium led by PATH — in partnership with the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) and the Organisation of African Youth (OAY), working together as VOICES (Voices Organizing for Inclusive Civic Engagement and Sustainability) — to strengthen civil society engagement, coalition-building, and youth leadership around domestic resource mobilization for women’s, children’s and adolescent health and nutrition across 22 GFF partner countries in Africa.
Why It Matters
Sustained domestic investment is critical to maintaining progress for women’s, children’s, and adolescent health and nutrition. Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, continue to face significant gaps in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health and nutrition (RMNCAH+N) outcomes, and progress increasingly depends on sustained domestic financing as donor support shifts.
Since 2013, more than 180 legal measures restricting civil society have been proposed or enacted worldwide. Steep cuts to international aid have further strained community-based and youth-led organizations' ability to stay engaged in advocacy and policy dialogue.
Since 2015, the GFF has helped steadily grow domestic and World Bank Group financing for RMNCAH+N. At the same time, GFF has also built a strong foundation for civil society and youth engagement in collaboration with other innovative partners such as CIVIC. GFF x CIVIC VOICES builds on that foundation, with an emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa, to help civil society and youth organizations stay resourced and engaged at the moment when domestic resource mobilization for RMNCAH+N matters most.
By partnering with civil society, community-based, and youth-led organizations, the GFF X CIVIC Platform seeks to amplify community voices, foster inclusive and evidence-informed policy dialogue, and strengthen accountability mechanisms across health systems.
Barriers to Effective Advocacy
Fragmented Civil Society Engagement
CSOs and youth-led organizations often work in isolation, which can mean governments get mixed or competing messages instead of one clear ask.
Shrinking Civic Space
In many countries, new laws and rules make it harder for civil society and youth groups to organize, speak up, and be heard by decision-makers.
Declining Health Financing
As external health financing declines, domestic public investment must play a far greater role in sustaining health gains.
Gap in Accountability
Health ministries often lack strong channels for civil society input on budget priorities and community feedback, limiting opportunities to ensure RMNCAH+N funds are tracked and used as intended.
Youth Preparation Challenges
Youth remain underrepresented in policy and financing discussions, despite being central to Africa's future.
The Objective
GFF x CIVIC VOICES aims to strengthen the capacity, coordination, and meaningful engagement of local CSOs and YLOs to drive sustainable and equitable domestic financing for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health and nutrition (RMNCAH-N), through inclusive participation, evidence-based advocacy, and accountability mechanisms.
Component 1
Sub
Granting
- Competitive call for proposals
- Subgrants to local CSO and YLO partnerships in up to 22 countries.
Component 2
Capacity &
Mentorship
- Tailored capacity strengthening to bridge capacities in budget advocacy and accountability
- Mentorship and ongoing technical assistance
- Evidence generation
- Youth leadership and coordination
Component 3
Innovation Funds
- Multi-stakeholder collaboration and advocacy coordination
- Peer-learning platforms and exchange
- Monitoring and evaluation to demonstrate impact
Questions or Concerns?
The VOICES Consortium is committed to equitable engagement with communities. If you have any questions or concerns, please email voices@path.org. If you wish to file an anonymous grievance, please use PATH’s secure reporting website.