Against the backdrop of beautiful Lake Naivasha, members of the Health Systems Advocacy Partnership gathered in Kenya to reflect on past successes, and discuss next steps.

The partnership, formed in 2015, was created to support stronger health systems that enable people in sub-Saharan Africa to equitably access high-quality sexual and reproductive health services and commodities. Now in it’s fourth year of operation, the partnership has celebrated 344 outcomes and contributed to significant developments in access to quality healthcare for many across sub-Saharan Africa.

The Joint Action Planning meeting spanned across three days in early September this year. The main objective was to consider how we can sustain outcomes already achieved as we move into the final year of the partnership’s activities in 2020.

Conversations were varied and productive, with speakers discussing topics such as the importance of investing in gender mainstreaming, and how to scale the work done with youth and communities.

HAI’s Digital Communications Officer, Dimity Kirkwood, joined the meeting with a camera in hand to capture the discussions (and incredible location) that occurred throughout the three days.

As the partnership enters its final year, we continue to work towards capacity building and strengthening links between organisations and networks advocating at the local, national, regional and international levels. Most importantly, we aim to continue advocating in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, the Netherlands, the European Union, the African Region and internationally for strong health systems that promote SRHR.