News release
February 7, 2025 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
In the last few years, healthcare systems around the world, especially those in low- and middle-income countries, have faced unprecedented strains. Climate change and geopolitical crises have exacerbated these pressures. As a result, many women and children still lack access to essential health services, as well as clean water, adequate sanitation, hygiene, and good nutrition.
As part of International Development Week, today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, announced 14 new projects, representing a contribution of $248.2 million, to make health systems stronger and more resilient to stressors, such as pandemics, conflicts, and climate change. This funding will also support the delivery of quality health services for the most vulnerable, in particular women, adolescent boys and girls, children, Indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities.
The 14 projects will be implemented over a period of up to 7 years (2025-2032), by Canadian and multilateral partner organizations, who will work closely with local civil society organizations, community-based organizations, and health service providers, as well as women and youth groups, to help strengthen access to and awareness of life-saving services. These services include health, nutrition, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Canadian and multilateral organizations, working with local partners, are well placed to support local health systems in taking a rights-based, bottom-up approach to help those most in need, including women and children. More than 4 million people in 20 countries are expected to directly benefit from these projects.
Today’s announcement demonstrates that Canada remains committed to achieving universal health coverage (UHC), founded on the bedrock of primary health care – ensuring that all people have access to a full range of quality health services, when and where they need them, without financial impact.
Canada’s contribution to the WHO’s UHC Partnership and other global and bilateral initiatives helps countries provide high-quality, people-centred health services. Canada also supports to the important work of local Canadian organizations, researchers and health practitioners in order to leverage their expertise and experience in the global health sector and to strengthen health systems.
Canada continues to take action, to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, towards the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Quotes
“Canada has a responsibility to do our part to build a brighter and healthier future for everyone. International assistance in healthcare is an investment that will create stronger communities for generations to come. When communities are healthy, more people are able to contribute to robust local and global economies. We will continue to invest in global health initiatives so more children around the world are growing up healthy and strong.”
- Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development
Quick facts
- The funding announced today is part of Canada’s 10-Year Commitment to Global Health and Rights (10YC) – Canada’s largest and longest financial commitment in international development assistance.
- Canada’s 10YC to global health and rights provides a vehicle to advance the key changes outlined in the Lusaka Agenda, including a stronger focus on primary health care, strengthening health systems, and reducing transaction costs in partner countries.
- Canada’s contributions to health systems strengthening span several sectors, including infectious disease control, health policy and administrative management, basic health care, and basic health infrastructure.
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Backgrounder
Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, announced the following 14 projects, totaling $248.2 million.
Project: TRUST: Women’s Voices, Midwifery Leadership for Resilient Health
Partner: Canadian Association of Midwives
Funding: $8,075,000 over 5 years
This project aims to improve the agency of women and girls, including marginalized populations, to exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights, primarily in Malawi and South Sudan.
Project : TAVAGEIGANAKERORA: Tisser des ponts pour une plus grande égalité en santé
Partner : Carrefour de solidarité internationale de Sherbrooke
Funding: $7,487,160 over 5 years
This project aims to achieve more equal enjoyment of health and health rights for vulnerable and marginalized populations in Peru, in particular Indigenous peoples, women, and adolescent girls.
Project: STRONGER, resilient health systems 4 SRHR
Partner: Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) Canada
Funding: $30,000,000 over 7 years
This project aims to enhance equal enjoyment of the rights of adolescent girls and women to be free from gender-based violence, including child, early and forced marriage, in Cambodia, Kenya and the Philippines.
Project: STRIDES for SRHR through Resilient Health Systems Partner: Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC)
Funding: $22,500,000 over 7 years
This project aims to enhance the equal enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health and rights by poor, marginalized and vulnerable women and adolescent girls in Kenya and Mozambique.
Project: EmpowerHer: Transforming SRHR in rural Sierra Leone
Partner: Christian Aid for Under-Assisted Societies Everywhere (CAUSE Canada)
Funding: $10,650,097 over 7 years
This project aims to enhance enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health and rights – including reduction of child and early forced marriage – among adolescent girls and women in 480 rural communities with high child marriage prevalence in Sierra Leone.
Project: Strengthening Equitable Healthcare Access in Target Regions (SEHAT)
Partner: Cowater International Inc.
Funding: $14,800,000 over 7 years
This project aims to improve health outcomes and rights, particularly sexual and reproductive health and rights for marginalized or vulnerable women and girls in Indonesia.
Project: Advancing Health & SRHR with Indigenous People in Quetzaltenango Guatemala
Partner: Horizons of Friendship
Funding: $17,715,942 over 7 years
This project aims to increase access to and use of gender-responsive and culturally relevant health services in Indigenous communities in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.
Project: East Africa: Resilient Health Systems
Partner: Islamic Relief Canada (IRC)
Funding: $14,000,000 over 7 years
This project aims to enhance the capacity of health systems to respond equitably to the needs of vulnerable communities in Ethiopia and South Sudan by focusing on health workforce, health information systems, and service delivery.
Project: Comprehensive Health Options through Innovative Community Engagement (CHOICE)
Partner: Oxfam Canada
Funding: $25,000,000 over 7 years
This project aims to increase enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health and rights for poor, marginalized and vulnerable women, girls, adolescents, and persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Project: Projet de renforcement de la Résilience du Système de Santé en RDC et au Tchad (PRESYS)
Funding Recipient: Oxfam-Québec
Funding: $30,000,000 over 7 years
This project aims to contribute to a more equal enjoyment of health and health-related rights for women, adolescent girls and other marginalized groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad.
Project: Sante mwen dwa mwen / Mi salud mis derechos
Partner: Université de Montréal / Unité de Santé Internationale (UdeM-USI)
Funding: $30,000,000 over 7 years
This project aims to achieve more equal enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health and rights for women, adolescents, and children, especially those in vulnerable or marginalized situations in Colombia, Haiti, and Guatemala. This project will be implemented in partnership with Lawyers without Borders Canada.
Project: Strengthening Wholistic and Inclusive Systems for Health (SWISH)
Partner: WaterAid Canada
Funding: $16,000,000 over 7 years
This project aims to increase the enjoyment of health and health rights for women, adolescents and children experiencing vulnerability in targeted districts of Liberia, Pakistan, and Zambia, with a focus on water and sanitation.
Project: NexSa: Triple Nexus et santé inclusive
Partner: Mission Inclusion
Funding: $10,000,000 over 5 years
This project aims to achieve more equal enjoyment of health and health rights for marginalized women in fragile contexts in Haiti and Cameroon, including displaced women and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
Project: Tanzania School Feeding Program
Partner: World Food Programme
Funding: $12 million over 5 years
The project aims to improve nutrition, health, and education outcomes of schoolgirls and boys by: (1) supporting students and community members to learn about better hygiene and nutrition; (2) increasing their access and consumption of diverse and nutritious food at school; and (3) building the capacity of local authorities to implement and deliver a sustainable school feeding program.
Associated links
- Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
- Canada’s efforts to promote global health
- Canada’s 10-Year Commitment to Global Health and Rights
- The Lusaka Agenda
- The UHC Partnership
Contacts
Olivia Batten
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Development
Olivia.Batten@international.gc.ca
Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
media@international.gc.ca
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