CGI: Health
Although there have been significant improvements in various sectors in sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, the region still carries 24% of the global burden of disease, even though it holds only 13% of the world’s population. This figure, set against the context of conflict, poverty and ill-management means that access to primary health care is often based on affordability.
Comic Relief’s Health Strategy within the Common Ground Initiative focuses on supporting improved access to primary health care for the most disadvantaged communities in Africa. We believe that health is a basic human right and the general wellbeing of a nation underpins advances in other sectors of development.
The strategy aims to address Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4: to reduce child mortality, and MDG 5: to improve maternal health, and target 4 of MDG 6: access to affordable, essential medicines.
The CGI Health Strategy is embedded within Comic Relief’s overall health strategy, which as well as the above targets, also works to meet MDG 6: combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases.
We want the CGI Health strategy to not only support the work of civil society in improving access to primary health care for disadvantaged communities, but also to harness the contribution of small and Diaspora organisations in the UK to help develop the health sector in Africa.
Our goal is to contribute to increasing access to primary health care for disadvantaged communities.
Target group
The overall aim is to create improvements in health for all members of the community. However, our primary target group will be women of child-bearing age and children under five.
Geographical focus
The CGI Health programme will fund work in Sub-Saharan Africa
Your work will need to deliver one or more of the following outcomes:
- An increase in people’s access to primary health care resulting in improved health status of women of child-bearing age and children under five
- Measurable improvements in the quality of primary health care as a result of better health facility budgeting, planning and management
- Greater community involvement in improving the uptake and quality of primary health care, resulting from engagement in systems and structures that make health facilities more accountable to the people they serve
- Changes in health policy, policy implementation and financing that contribute to better health outcomes for women of child-bearing age and children under five.
Grants available under the CGI are as follows:
Project grants – these may be up to £1 million over five years. However, the mean grant for most small and Diaspora organisations is under £200,000 over three years. Organisations are strongly advised to submit applications that are proportionate to their size and capacity, the size and capacity of their local partners, and their track record to date.
Research, Consultation and Planning grants – these may be for up to £25,000 and for up to 12 months’ duration. They will enable partners to carry out action research, a needs analysis, a pilot study and related work that enables applicant organisations to develop a well thought through proposal.
Download the full Common Ground Initiative Health programme strategy document