Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Strategy

This transition is crucial for achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and ensuring equitable access to essential health services for all people. The project works with partner countries and local stakeholders to reduce financial barriers to care and treatment, improve the quality of health services, and ensure equitable access to essential health services. The LHSS project is led by Abt Associates and has a five-year duration with a budget of $209 million. The project's objectives are aligned with USAID's Gender Equality and Female Empowerment policy and other key Agency and U.S. government policies. The project's approach to gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) is critical in achieving its objectives, as health systems are not gender neutral and taking GESI into account leads to stronger and more equitable health outcomes. The LHSS project has developed a six-point approach to guide GESI considerations across its activities and management. This approach includes creating a statement of commitment on GESI, conducting a GESI review and quality assurance, focusing on staff development, integrating GESI into planning and budgeting, incorporating GESI into monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and knowledge management (KM), and building local partner capacity. The project has also developed practical tools and resources to support project staff, including a sample action plan template, a how-to guide for operationalizing GESI in LHSS, and guidance on important considerations in gender-sensitive data collection. The LHSS project's GESI strategy is designed to provide guidance to project staff and partners to ensure that project activities integrate gender into the analysis, design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and learning of interventions, promote meaningful participation by women and other socially excluded groups in health systems management, leadership, and governance, and do not exacerbate the problems and barriers faced by women, underserved, and socially excluded groups in accessing and using quality health services. The project's approach to GESI is critical in addressing gender inequalities in health and health systems. Gender transformative approaches can address these inequalities and lead to stronger and more equitable health outcomes. The LHSS project's GESI strategy provides a framework for the project to ensure that its activities are inclusive and equitable, and that the needs of all populations, including women, youth, the disabled, and other vulnerable and marginalized groups, are taken into account. The LHSS project's GESI strategy is aligned with USAID's policy on gender equality and female empowerment, and other key Agency and U.S. government policies. The project's approach to GESI is critical in achieving its objectives and ensuring that its activities are inclusive and equitable. The project's GESI strategy provides a framework for the project to ensure that its activities are aligned with the needs of all populations, including women, youth, the disabled, and other vulnerable and marginalized groups. The LHSS project's GESI strategy is designed to provide guidance to project staff and partners to ensure that project activities are inclusive and equitable. The project's approach to GESI is critical in addressing gender inequalities in health and health systems, and ensuring that the needs of all populations are taken into account. The project's GESI strategy provides a framework for the project to ensure that its activities are aligned with the needs of all populations, and that the project's objectives are achieved in an inclusive and equitable manner.