Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) Essay and Blog Competition 2018
The Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) project is an innovative social accountability project implemented through the unique strategy of capacity building for CSOs on the demand side and government champions on the supply side to build partnerships to advance child and family health through advocacy.
Lend your voice to the debate by contributing an Essay or Blog to discuss and share your views on the topic:
Topic: How Should Advocates Communicate, Effectively, to Government Officials at National and/or State Levels to Inform them of the Advantages of Investing in Health to Advance Nigeria’s Human Capital and Sustainable DevelopmentIntroduction
Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation addressed the National Economic Council on Thursday, March 22 2018, at the Old Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja where he made the following observation: ‘If you invest in their health, education, and opportunities-the “human capital” we are talking about today-then they will lay the foundation for sustained prosperity. If you don’t, however, then it is very important to recognize that there will be a sharp limit on how much the country can grow”.
Bill Gates’ call for investment in health and education as a strategy for sustained prosperity is backed up by strong evidence which shows the benefits of social sector investment for the economy and sustainable development. Here are a few examples:
1.) “Improved health contributes to economic growth in four ways: it reduces production losses caused by worker illness, it permits the use of natural resources that had been totally or nearly inaccessible because of disease; it increases the enrolment of children in school and makes them better able to learn; and it frees for alternative uses resources that would otherwise have to be spent on treating illness”. World Development Report, Investing in Health, 1993:17
2.) In adopting the African Health Strategy 2016-2030, the AU and key stakeholders (RECs, CSOs and international development partners) will be guided by the following principles: Health is a developmental input and a result requiring multi-sectoral responses Health is a productive sector; investing in health brings positive economic returns” Africa Health Strategy, 2016-2030, African Union: 15
3.) “Investing in the health system not only saves lives, It is also a crucial investment in the wider economy. This is because ill-health impairs productivity, hinders job prospects and adversely affects human capital development”. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/12/the-importance-of-investing-in-health/
4.) “Education can put people on a path towards good health, empowerment and employment. It can help to build more peaceful societies. And the benefits of girls’ education extends to their own children who are often healthier and more educated because their mothers went to school. Evidence shows that, on average, each additional year of education boosts a person’s income by 10 per cent and increases’a country’s GDP by 18 per cent. Some researchers estimate that if every child learned to read, around 170 million fewer people would live in poverty”. https://blogs.unicef.org/blog/education-the-most-powerful-investment-in-our-future/
Guidelines
- All essays must be between 2,500 to 4,500 words in length not including bibliography/references, 14 font size in Times New Roman script.
- Blogs, must be between 600 to 800 words in length, 14 font size in Times New Roman script. Evidence based contributions are encouraged.
- Two author submissions are acceptable and women are especially encouraged to apply. The title and word amount and author/s must be typed at the top of each essay or blog.
Prizes
- Cash prizes will be awarded for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, prizes for the essay competition.
- Cash prizes will be awarded for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, prizes for the blog competition.
- Winning essays and blogs will be published by the Leiden University College, The Hague, University of Leiden, The Netherlands.
- First and second prize winners will also be supported to make an in-person presentation at the Leiden University College, The Netherlands in September 2018.
Deadline: 4th June, 2018.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Essays and Blogs to: Health4development@gmail.com as an attachment.
Note
- A CV must also submitted as an attachment. The Subject of the email must state the name of the contributor and category – essay or blog.
- The body of the email should introduce the author/s in 5 lines maximum. All submissions will be acknowledged. Winners will be announced 4th August 2018.
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