Winner of the 2024 USAID Health Systems Strengthening Case Competition
Enabling whole-of-society participation to improve health system performance and health outcomes can only happen when the most marginalized populations are not only considered and reached but are actively included in the design of solutions. This approach is taken by the government of Uganda with support from USAID’s Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) | East (Act | East) program—led by prime RTI International and supported by gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) partner WI-HER—through a GESI Behavior Change Activity to achieve the “last mile” in trachoma control in Uganda.
In June 2024, the USAID Health Systems Strengthening Case Competition recognized the importance of this work and Act | East’s application of WI-HER’s iDARE methodology by selecting our case, “Fostering Equity in Neglected Tropical Disease Services Through a Community Led Approach in Uganda: Closing the Gaps in Trachoma Mass Drug Administration and Uptake.”
“We are delighted to receive the recognition from the USAID Health Systems Strengthening Case Competition,” said Sara Pappa, WI-HER’s Director, Program Implementation. “This is a wonderful opportunity to share the critical work we are doing in ensuring key populations have access to equitable and quality trachoma services in Uganda, advancing gender equity and social inclusion in health systems.”
On July 15th, 2024 the HSS Case Competition will host a Virtual Showcase event to highlight this groundbreaking work in health systems strengthening and share how Act | East operationalizes core elements of the USAID Vision for Health System Strengthening to reach the “last mile” in trachoma control in Uganda.
We also applaud the other winners of the 2024 HSS Case Competition:
- “A Model of Social Innovation in Health Care Systems for Reducing Severe Maternal Morbidity” – LHSS/Abt Global
- “Evidence-Based Action to Achieve Indonesia’s Digital Health Transformation: Use of the Digital Maturity Index Assessment to Measure Health Information System Progression” – CHISU/JSI