Press Release: FORWARD is an Action for Women’s Health Awardee
London based African women’s organisation FORWARD has been announced as one of 80+ organisations that were awarded funding through Action for Women’s Health, a $250 million global open call, launched in 2024 to support organisations working to improve women’s mental and physical health around the world.
Although women make up half of the world’s population, they face inequities in nearly every aspect of their health. Women’s health is chronically underfunded and under-researched, and even when resources and solutions do exist, they often aren’t reaching the women who need them.
FORWARD is an African women-led organisation working to end violence against women and girls. From female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage to domestic and sexual violence, we tackle abuse and discrimination – enabling African women and girls to have the dignity, health and equality they deserve.
FORWARD’s Executive Director Naana Otoo-Oyortey: “This strategic multi-year funding will enable FORWARD to invest in scaling up and consolidating our work and sustain a lasting ecosystem for gender equality, wellbeing and empowerment of girls and young women in Africa and the UK. We will expand our leadership training and movement building reaching 500 young women; strengthen capacity of 20 young women’s organisations and partner organisations to deliver effective programmes so women and girls thrive and are free from violence and develop evidence to drive systems change at multiple levels. We are so thrilled that we are one of the Action for Women’s Health awardees, this is huge for us and it will make a lasting difference to the lives of African women and girls.”
Over 4,000 organisations from 119 countries applied, offering solutions across the lifespan for women. After a rigorous peer and expert review process, 80+ organisations have been identified, many of whom have historically lacked access to major funding streams. This funding will have real impact for women across geographies, life stages, and identities.
Action for Women’s Health is funded by Pivotal, a group of impact organisations founded by Melinda French Gates, and managed by Lever for Change, an organisation with a track record of identifying bold ideas to solve the world’s most pressing problems.
Download the Full Press Release here
More information about the initiative and awardees is available at: https://leverforchange.org/open-calls/action-for-womens-health
