Hewlett Initiative

About the Project:

The project is designed to strengthen the responsiveness and accountability of local government officials to citizens and ultimately to improve the quality of local public services like education and health care. Project started on 1st January 2019 in Kampala due to the resource mobilization available.

Project Goal & Objectives:

Contributing to the Realization of Health Coverage (RHC) in Uganda.

Objectives

Support prioritizing domestic funding for FP and adolescent access to SRHR information and services by NAWMP.
The Parliament of Uganda passed the Private Members Bill for the National Health Insurance by December 2019.
Key SRHR CSOs embrace and support and contribute to the operationalization of SRHR Online Tracking Tool.
Key SRHR CSOs embrace and support data collection for the SRHR Online Tracking Tool.

Target Group

The project has got a wide range of target audiences but for over three-quarters the highest priority is foundation staff, and for well over half it is non-profit staff.

Plans of changes to create

Support NAWMP to engage MoH on adolescent health.
Hold two meetings to share and review the draft private members bill on the National Health Insurance with the members of parliament who seconded the motion and key CSOs.
Hold meetings to popularise the bill to the members of parliament and key stakeholders
Hold a national consultation workshop o tracking tool.
Convene SRHR CSOs on key SRHR issues in preparations for the HLPF- review of SDG indicator.

Project's theory of change

Basing on the RHU annual report 2019, the Project’s major goal was to increase SRHR advocacy efforts in the context of national and international sustainable climate change adaptation strategies. However due to some challenges and weaknesses in the implementation of the planned activities, the Hewlett Initiative set a number of strategies to form a change including;

A meeting was held with representatives from Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and Members of Parliament highlighting the status of the National Schools Health policy but the increased number of people affected the cost of implementation. Members of Parliament committed to support the policy when it comes back to the floor of parliament.
A meeting was held with 35 members from civil society organisations. The objective of the meeting was to popularise the SRHR online policy Tracking Tool (OPTT) among CSOs to embrace and support data collection for the OPTT. The participants recommended to establish a task force responsible for collecting data for inputting in the online tool. The CSOs were excited about the tool and committed to fill the questionnaire. They however recommended an additional section on persons with disability.
Held a meeting with CSOs with the office of the prime minister- who holds the SDGs coordinating docket. The meeting agreed to have a comprehensive CSO report for the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF)- contributed by different members. RHU will take lead on issues of SRHR.

RHU has committed to keep in touch with the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Education and Sports as well as Members of Parliament to plan more meetings, prepare more budgets and monitor the implementation of the above policies and activities as a measure to achieve the stated objectives of the Project.