GBCHealth 2020 Retrospective

2020 was a tumultuous year as we, along with the rest of the world, adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 continues to have a major impact on the global healthcare ecosystem and beyond. It has disrupted delivery of essential products and services which are critical in efforts to control infectious diseases, and in protecting the health of our most vulnerable … Read More

Peace in the Sahel: Demography, Peace and Security in Focus at High-Level Symposium

On December 2nd, the United Nations Population Fund West and Central Africa Regional Office (UNFPA WCARO) and the Government of Niger hosted a virtual symposium on Demography, Peace, and Security (DPS) in the Sahel. The primary aim of the event was to engage in high-level policy and advocacy dialogue on the links between demography, peace, and security, and develop a … Read More

‘Peace Be Upon You’: People, Peace and Prosperity in the Sahel

By Mabingue Ngom, UNFPA Regional Director for West and Central Africa (WCARO) “Do you have peace?” “Peace be upon you!”  These are two customary expressions which are indispensable when people of the Sahel, from Praia to Djibouti, meet, whatever language they speak. Peace is a major aspiration in the Sahel; perhaps more than ever now that it seems to be … Read More

GBCHealth and Greenmash win COVIDaction grant for digital health system deployment

Earlier this month, COVIDaction announced its Resilient Health Systems awards. GBCHealth and its partner Greenmash were one of nine winning innovations – representing just 2% of applicants – receiving financial support, technical assistance, and peer learning as part of the initiative. GBCHealth and Greenmash, in partnership with the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) project, were selected for proposed … Read More

Demography, Peace and Security in the Sahel

The Sahel region in Africa is afflicted by a combination of factors including armed conflict, terrorism and economic instability which undermine development prospects in the region. Weak local governance is not the only factor contributing to conflicts and instability; high youth unemployment, scarcity of resources, high levels of inequality, and other demographic factors (such as high population growth, a growing … Read More

COVIDaction Highlights 30 Resilient Health Systems Innovations

What is the role of technology in building the resilience of health systems? How can we use technology platforms and innovations to change the delivery models of health services, enabling prevention, health promotion, health education, surveillance and service deliver? How do we engage communities to increase trust in the health system, ensuring that people seek care when appropriate and follow … Read More

Looking ahead to ICPD25: Partnerships for empowering women & girls

The Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 will take place from November 12-14. This summit, recognizing the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, will be co-convened by the governments of Kenya and Denmark as well as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). This year is also the 50th anniversary of UNFPA. The aim of the … Read More

Empowering Women and Girls for Equitable Economic Growth: SWEDD Roundtable Catalyzes Public-Private Sector Investment in Sahel

On the sidelines of the mid-year African Union (AU) Summit, GBCHealth along with companies and other private sector organizations, political leaders, and bilateral and multilateral partners participated in the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) Resource Mobilization Roundtable, themed around “Investing in Women’s Empowerment and Human Capital as a Development Strategy for Growth.” In his keynote address, the President … Read More

Insights: Optimizing Supply Chains to Empower Women and Girls

By: Rebecca Fishman Overview In the developing world, approximately 214 million women and girls who want to avoid getting pregnant are not using safe and effective family planning methods. In large part, this is due to barriers that limit access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information, services, and products. These barriers persist across Africa, particularly for young … Read More

A New Year Brings New Challenges and New Opportunities

Dear Friends and Colleagues, As the New Year gets underway, we are grateful for the immense support and dedication our partners have shown us over the last year. Together, as a global health community, we made significant progress in 2017 – renewing commitments to TB and intensifying efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance. 2017 also brought changes in global leadership at … Read More