On 3-6 October, the IPPF Member Associations of Cameroon, Senegal and Zambia attended a resource mobilization workshop which took place in Nairobi. Participants at the workshop were provided with an update on the AMACSI project and invited to develop resource mobilization skills to access EU/EC funds.
 
Launched in December 2010, the AMACSI project is a 3-year advocacy and resource mobilization project conducted by IPPF European Network Regional Office (ENRO) and IPPF African Regional Office (ARO) with IPPF funding.
 
The overall purpose of the project is to: a) make Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) a national policy and funding priority at the country level and within the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) bodies and the European Development Fund (EDF); and b) access resources that are available through EU channels in Brussels and at the country- level, by 2013.

This is the fourth in a series of workshops organized jointly by IPPF ENRO and ARO for the Member Associations of Cameroon, Senegal and Zambia which have allowed them to develop concrete advocacy goals towards their national governments and ambassadors as well as the EU delegations at country-level.

In parallel, at the Brussels level, IPPF ENRO has strengthened its partnership with key institutions active in the EDF decision-making processes such as the European Commission and the ACP bodies with the objective of gaining political and financial support for SRHR.

Vicky Claeys, Regional Director of IPPF European Network, was invited to speak at the ACP Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development last April on the importance of SRHR for poverty reduction. As a result, the Committee adopted a report quoting recommendations on the need to support SRHR and the links with the ACP Secretariat have been significantly reinforced.

Linkages between the national level and the Brussels advocacy are being ensured so as to create a long-term and sustainable impact.

In March 2012, the target Member Associations as well as IPPF ARO will come to Brussels for the project annual meeting as well as for liaising with key EC and ACP policy makers.

For more information, contact Gina Wharton, Project coordinator of AMACSI within IPPF EN at gwharton@ippfen.org