Equitable Partnerships

At EngenderHealth, we have learned through experience that equitable partnerships are the result of intentional collaboration, trust building, knowledge sharing, and a people-centered approach. They require focused, purposeful, and rewarding work. Equitable partnerships are the cornerstone of EngenderHealth’s approach to locally led development and are fundamental to every aspect of EngenderHealth’s work, across geographies and technical areas.

EngenderHealth is committed to applying the learnings from our rich experiences with partners to all of our programming. We are committed to supporting country-led solutions for country-specific opportunities and challenges, co-designing projects for local needs with local partners, strengthening and supporting systems and capacities for future sustainability, and strengthening and sharing power and resources with local partners.

Our intersectional approach to designing and implementing complementary and integrated interventions that work across multiple health and development sectors ensures our programs reflect the holistic needs of those we serve.

Our Partnership Principles

At EngenderHealth, equitable partnerships drive our mission forward. Therefore, our partnership approach is integral to enhancing our impact and the impact of our partners. Collaboration, inclusivity, equity, shared responsibility, transparency, trust, mutual respect, and adaptability are the core principles that underpin our partnership model. These principles guide us as we build equitable partnerships and are grounded in our broader organizational values— reflection, inclusion, integrity, respect, and transformation. 

• Collaboration: We align with partners around a shared vision and work together to develop goals and strategies for achieving them. Together, we share expertise, learning, and credit for joint successes.   
• Inclusivity: We embrace diverse perspectives in our partnerships. We engage meaningfully with partners to create mutual value, address challenges, and design impactful solutions. 
• Equity: We acknowledge and address the complexities of power dynamics in our partnerships. We aim for shared power, fair distribution of resources, benefits, and outcomes. Our commitment is to ensure that all partners gain value from the partnership, regardless of their size, influence, or resources.   
• Shared Responsibility: We foster a sense of shared ownership and joint responsibility for common goals and the partnership’s outcomes – good or bad. 
• Transparency: We maintain a commitment to openness and transparency by sharing information about capabilities, resources, potential risks, and concerns throughout the partnership. 
• Trust: Trust is the cornerstone of our partnerships. We recognize that trust is built over time and based on experience. We aim to build relationships based on reliability, honesty, and openness to lay a foundation for effective joint action and shared success. 
• Mutual Respect: We ensure each partner is heard, respected, and receives the support they need to make the partnership successful. Our aim is for each partner to feel that the partnership is respectful and beneficial. 
• Adaptability: We embrace the potential for mutual growth and change inherent in partnerships. We are deliberate and open to learning from our partners, adapting our perspectives, and modifying our strategies and actions based on shared experiences.   

Though our partnerships are diverse and wide-ranging, all our work with partners is characterized by three core approaches that broadly define our role and contributions.

Together with our partners, we have developed a Partnership Framework and Toolkit, using a variety of inclusive approaches to ensure that these materials are reflective of our partners’ needs and the experience of our staff across the world. Built in line with EngenderHealth’s core values and designed to provide strategic direction and practical tools for building long-lasting, equitable partnerships, we hope that it will guide us, and others, to better live up to the goals of locally led development. Learn more about our vision and approach to building equitable partnerships. 

Who We Partner With

In the countries where we work, we have strong relationships with national and local governments, health-system authorities, and associations of healthcare professionals. We also work closely with national and local civil society organizations, including youth- and women-led organizations, as well as local media outlets, faith and community leaders, and other critical actors, to ensure that our collective work is owned and led by local partners.

We also partner at the regional and global levels. EngenderHealth collaborates with, shares knowledge with, and learns from other international organizations and multilateral institutions, through individual partnerships and participation in different types of coalitions and consortia. For example, EngenderHealth is a member agency of the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) on Reproductive Health in Crises to support overall governance and alignment with priority activities, advocacy, and external communications. We engage with FP2030 through an MOU to support countries in their commitments with FP2030 goals. We partner with SWAA Burundi, a local NGO, to develop and endorse national guidelines, such as those to prevent and respond to violence and children and women. We also actively engage in conferences and events where the global sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality communities come together.

Finally, EngenderHealth is proud to partner with a wide range of donors—from individuals and foundations to bilateral development cooperation agencies and multilateral institutions—without whose support and encouragement our work would not be possible.

Learn more about our approach to equitable partnerships or read about specific partnerships in the Programs section of this website.