“Leyaata Atoro”: A Proposal to Improve the Health of Women and Girls in Ghana
Author(s): Benjamin Asubiojo, Archna Gupta, Deborah Mensah, Andrew Pinto, Katherine Rouleau, Jennifer Wilson
Introduction: Women and girls in northern Ghana are unable to access comprehensive primary care services to prevent and treat disease. (1) This inequity was the driving force behind “Leyaata Atoro”, a project to improve health outcomes for women and girls in Ghana by strengthening access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services.
Design: In response to the Government of Canada’s (GAC) Resilient Health Systems For All Call For Proposals (2), a concept note and logic model was co-created with a team of global health collaborators. “Leyaata Atoro” was presented to the Chair of the Department of Community and Family Medicine (DFCM) at the University of Toronto (UofT) followed by submission to the University’s Office of Vice-President International (OVPI). While the proposal was not chosen by OVPI for submission, the team pivoted and submitted “Leyaata Atoro” through an alternate route.
Results: In June 2023, a concept note and logic model for “Leyaata Atoro” was co-created and submitted to the GAC. Twelve collaborating organizations co-developed an 84-month long project valued at $18,000,000, targeting 163 Ghanaian communities. Regrettably, it was not accepted by GAC.
Conclusions: “Leyaata Atoro” was DFCM’s first GAC submission and is now better informed and prepared to seek out and respond to future GAC calls. Due to obstacles faced, this project fostered adaptability, agility, and resilience amongst the global team of collaborators. The “Leyaata Atoro” team is now seeking alternative sources of funding.
References:
1. Universal health coverage for sexual and reproductive health in Ghana: evidence brief [Internet]. [cited 2023 Dec 17]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/WHO-SRH-21.17
2 Canada GA. GAC. 2023 [cited 2023 Dec 17]. Resilient Health Systems for All - Concept Notes. Available from: https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/funding-financement/resilient_health-systemes_sa nte.aspx?lang=eng
3. Remme M, Vassall A, Fernando G, Bloom DE. Investing in the health of girls and women: a best buy for sustainable development. BMJ. 2020 Jun 2;369:m1175.