Standing Up for SRHR: AmplifyChange’s Strategy 2026-2030
Why now, why us?
When I think about why I joined AmplifyChange as Chair, it’s because I see sexual and reproductive health and rights as something that affects each one of us in our daily lives rather than an abstract concept.
I’ve spent my career witnessing what happens when people face violence, stigma and discrimination or when they can’t control their own fertility, their own bodies, and their own futures. But I’ve also seen the extraordinary resilience and innovation of fearless activists who refuse to accept the status quo, who brave countless challenges and who choose to fight for sexual and reproductive freedom every single day.
Today, we find ourselves in a moment unlike any other. While familiar battles continue, new global trends are emerging, and technology is fundamentally changing the way we live. The young people I meet from different parts of the world are navigating the old and the new. They are using technology in ways we never imagined, as a tool for liberation, connection and change. This brings me tremendous hope even as I recognize the real dangers that come with this technology. We must be prepared to navigate the changes along with these young activists.
This is what I value most about AmplifyChange’s approach. We don’t just fund, we listen, we learn, we stand alongside. Not as saviours, but as allies committed to the long haul.
Our grantee partners teach us as much as we support them. Their context-specific solutions don’t just transform their communities: they offer insights that can guide responses to similar challenges anywhere in the world. This is why investing in locally-led advocacy isn’t charity, it’s strategic investment in the future of sexual and reproductive health and rights globally.
We are living through a time when democracy itself is under threat, when climate change is reshaping migration and health outcomes, when artificial intelligence and social media are revolutionising how we access information and connect with each other. These aren’t separate issues from sexual and reproductive health and rights; they’re intertwined with them. The advocates we support understand this intuitively and are developing responses that address these intersections in ways that top-down approaches simply cannot.
The strategy you’re about to read emerges from the conversations with our grantee partners, from their victories and setbacks, from their dreams and their practical wisdom. It reflects not just where we want to go, but what they’ve taught us about how to get there.
At this moment, AmplifyChange offers something unique: unwavering commitment to those closest to the issues, the resources and solidarity they need to persist, and the recognition that their work is essential not just for their communities, but for all of us who believe in sexual and reproductive justice.
The path ahead isn’t easy, but it’s filled with possibility. AmplifyChange will walk alongside those who are leading the way towards a better future for all.
In solidarity,
Dr. Narmeen Hamid
Chair, AmplifyChange
SRHR at a turning point
This is a moment of both peril and possibility for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Dramatic cuts in international aid are having a severe impact on funding for SRHR, and global institutions are under threat. Yet around the world, a new generation of activists is advocating for people’s right to make choices about their bodies and lives with dignity and freedom.
One in seven women do not have access to contraception when they need it.1 Those women are disproportionately in low-income countries, and are disproportionately adolescents, people in rural areas, poor, unmarried, those with less education, and people in humanitarian and crisis situations.2 Progress has been made in support of bodily autonomy, including abortion rights. Yet still 39,000 women die from an unsafe abortion every year because of restrictive laws, lack of services, and stigma. Studies show that stigma, shame, negative societal norms around adolescent sexuality make it very difficult for young people to gain information or discuss SRHR issues, even in contexts where policies exist.3 Across eight health-surveillance sites in Sub-Saharan Africa, 37% of adolescents did not know about menstruation, and 56% did not know of STIs other than HIV.4 As always, the most marginalised are most at risk of dying.5 More countries are restricting gender expression, and countries that continue to criminalize same-sex relationships are intensifying penalties, including in some cases, the death penalty.6
Technology is transforming the landscape. Social media, aided by growing use of artificial intelligence, is dividing views on gender and human rights. This is dividing people, especially young people, more than ever before.7 Yet social media and artificial intelligence are connecting movements across borders and sparking mobilisation and accelerating the pace of change faster than ever before. With the right support, these tools can expand access to knowledge, amplify marginalised voices, and accelerate advocacy wins.
Opportunities are emerging. In Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, the largest youth populations in history are stepping forward. These young people are breaking taboos, speaking openly about sexuality, and claiming reproductive agency, fundamentally changing social norms. Changemakers are mobilising against old and new threats. In country after country, activists are confronting restrictive laws, exposing coercive policies, and dismantling harmful norms. Even in the most hostile environments, civil society is finding creative ways to advance equality, health, and rights for all.
Grassroots advocates bring deep knowledge of their communities and context-specific expertise to design solutions that reach even the most marginalised. Their work drives local progress and can shape stronger more effective global responses to emerging challenges. Despite facing major cuts in funding from traditional funders, community and civil society groups advocating for SRHR are determined to sustain and strengthen their movements. They are demanding more resources, and accountability from their own governments.
This is a critical time. The pressure to restrict SRHR is real but so is the momentum. These rights are visible, more demanded, and more possible to achieve than ever. This is a moment to act with courage, creativity and optimism. By investing in movements and advocates we can help build a world where dignity, equality, and freedom are realities for all.
The future of SRHR requires innovation and strategising to counter the global opposition and resistance. AmplifyChange fits in well with this vision as it allows grantee partners the room to innovate and test out new strategies.
– AmplifyChange Strategic Advisor
About AmplifyChange
Our Vision
People everywhere can freely make choices about their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Our Mission
We support locally led organisations and movements who advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Our Values
Respectful
Our grantee partners understand their context and priorities. We stand in solidarity with them. We respect our partners and act with integrity.
Collaborative
We achieve more when we work together and gain strength from each other’s progress. We recognise our differences and learn from each other.
Accountable
We use resources responsibly and we are transparent about the decisions we take. We are accountable to all our partners.
Adaptable
We adjust our work to changing contexts. We listen to and learn from our grantee partners, donors and others in the SRHR movement.
Impact-driven
We support locally led organisations to drive SRHR advocacy as they are best placed to achieve meaningful change for their communities.
Our Story
AmplifyChange was born in 2014 as a project to support SRHR advocates at country level. From the start, we knew that lasting change comes from those closest to the issues: locally led organisations advocating in their own communities, countries and regions. Strengthening civil society is a proven, effective, sustainable way of accelerating lasting change.
We recognised that we had a unique role to play: funding and supporting small, often overlooked, organisations to grow, to form partnerships, and to influence policy and practice on SRHR. In 2020, we registered as an independent not-for-profit organisation, and in 2024 we also became a UK-registered charity.
AmplifyChange scaled quicky and effectively in its first decade, focusing on the most neglected SRHR issues in the most challenging contexts. As we begin our next chapter, we remain committed to our founding belief: that by amplifying the voices and impact of local advocacy, we can protect hard-won gains, unlock new opportunities, and help ensure that people everywhere can freely make choices about their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
How we work
AmplifyChange stands out as the only international fund specifically dedicated to supporting SRHR advocacy by civil society organisations, with a unique ability to reach local groups that struggle to access traditional funding. It combines accessible funding for hard-to-reach groups with a focus on addressing root causes.
Funding advocacy
AmplifyChange funds advocacy on SRHR by supporting locally led organisations, across Africa, South Asia and the Middle East. We support activist groups advocating on the most neglected and challenging SRHR issues such as the right to safe abortion and ending child marriage.
We don’t just fund advocacy projects; we also support the core operations of grantee partners who are advocating on SRHR.
Strengthening organisations
AmplifyChange helps our grantee partners to grow stronger through tailored organisational strengthening with supporting funds. Our support starts from the beginning through the due diligence with all grantee partners before and throughout the funding.
As a result of our support, our grantee partners are more visible, have more connections and attract further funding. This in turn strengthens their advocacy on SRHR and gives them more power in influencing policymakers.
Supporting movements
AmplifyChange fosters connections, peer-learning and partnerships among our grantee partners and beyond so that they can contribute to movements for change. We convene donors and decision-makers so that grantee partners can share the evidence and knowledge they have generated. Any organisation can use AmplifyChange Learn8, practical guidance written by advocates, for advocates.
Our grantee partners are the experts and AmplifyChange supports them to amplify their voices at regional and global levels. They are helping to advance SRHR in their countries and strengthen the global movement for SRHR.
Our focus
AmplifyChange supports grassroots organisations in countries across Africa, South Asia and the Middle East. As a funder focused on advocacy, we prioritise funding for countries that are not making sufficient progress on delivering SRHR for all. We call them ‘not to be missed countries’. The list of countries evolves with evidence from global reports and grantee partner experiences and is available on our website.
AmplifyChange prioritises organisations who represent and advocate for the most marginalised or underrepresented communities. Locally led organisations know best which groups are the most marginalised in their country context at any given time. Over the years, our grantee partners have included organisations led by young people, people with disability, women, sex workers, LGBTIQ community and people living with HIV among others.
Our Theory of Change explained
Our vision is a world where people everywhere can freely make choices about their sexual and reproductive health and rights. The steps towards this vision are laid out below, and in the Theory of Change graphic.
We believe that supporting locally led organisations and movements for SRHR will lead to stronger local organisations, more locally led advocacy and stronger more inclusive movements. These organisations and movements are even more important when they work for communities where the gap is greatest, such as for young people.
In turn, this will lead to these results:
1. Increased awareness of SRHR as human rights
When people know that sexual and reproductive health is a basic human right, they feel empowered to seek the care they need. Understanding these services as something everyone deserves means that people will hold governments accountable for providing them.
2. Policy and law reforms that improve SRHR access
Bad laws and policies often stop people from getting essential sexual and reproductive health services like contraception or safe abortion care. When these laws and policies are improved, it removes barriers so healthcare workers can provide services safely and people can access the care they need.
3. Improved access to quality SRH services
Good laws and policies don’t help if quality9 services aren’t available or affordable for those who need them. Services must be designed to meet the specific needs of different communities, especially those who face extra barriers to getting care.
4. More inclusive social norms and reduced stigma and discrimination
Even with good laws and services, stigma and discrimination can still stop people from getting the care they need. Changing harmful attitudes about sexuality, age, race, disability, and reproductive choices creates the circumstances where people can access services and make their own decisions without fear of judgement.
5. Governments ensure funding for SRHR
Governments have a duty to ensure that their citizens can make sexual and reproductive choices based on what is best for their health and lives. When governments ensure that sexual and reproductive health and rights are properly funded, this creates greater national ownership and sustainability.
These results will contribute to our strategic goals:
Ending gender-based violence
Ending unsafe abortions
Sustained, rights-based SRH services for all
SRHR education and information for all
Freedom from stigma and discrimination
We also make the following commitments to learning:
Backing new ideas and flexible approaches
We will set aside funds to support advocacy innovation, experimentation and adaptability. This will enable both AmplifyChange and our partners to try new advocacy approaches, use emerging technologies and respond effectively to fast-changing political contexts.
Becoming a stronger learning partner
We will continue to listen, learn, and adapt. We will use feedback from partners to improve how we work and share knowledge across the sexual and reproductive health and rights movement. We will continue to consult our Grantee Reference Group about how to improve the way we work.
Why invest in locally led organisations to advocate for SRHR?
Locally led organisations are a vital part of delivering sexual and reproductive health and rights. Their expertise and advocacy are essential in making sure that governments meet their promises. AmplifyChange has helped to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights in several countries by supporting community-led advocacy.
Advocacy by locally led organisations is authentic, context-specific, and inclusive. They can challenge stigma, shift harmful social norms, and ensure that policies and services reflect the real needs of diverse populations. Their ability to navigate cultural sensitivities and speak in locally resonant ways makes them powerful agents of change. Their local identity means they are committed to working in the long term.
Community-led advocacy enhances democratic participation by enabling people to shape the policies that affect their lives. It also supports the implementation of national policies by bridging the gap between policy and practice. Their work often reflects the connection between SRHR and issues such as climate justice, and poverty.
In politically hostile or under-resourced contexts, locally led organisations often act as a frontline defence against rights rollbacks. They are agile, responsive, and can seize opportunities for change quickly.
AmplifyChange operates as a multi-donor challenge fund, which means funders can leverage their investments alongside funding from governments and other foundations, effectively multiplying their impact. This collaborative approach reduces risk while increasing reach and sustainability. AmplifyChange provides flexible funding that local organisations need most but find hardest to secure from traditional donors. Our grant-making models nurture local organisations to drive the advocacy agenda and push for relevant change in their context.
From an operational perspective, AmplifyChange gives the opportunity to invest in SRHR advocacy, with established systems for grant-making across multiple regions and languages. We offer grantees a range of funding mechanisms, from small grants to larger partnership and strengthening grants, alongside organisational strengthening support and learning about advocacy.
By investing in AmplifyChange, funders support not just individual organisations but entire movements for social change, creating ripple effects that transform communities and advance human rights on a global scale.
Their [AmplifyChange] contribution was beyond the funding. They offered deep knowledge and expertise, with a strong emphasis on peer learning.
– Funder
AmplifyChange carries the true spirit of philanthropy: giving grassroots organisations space to decide. They are grounded in the work we do.
– Former Grantee Partner
Case Studies
In Uganda, the Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) and other CSOs pushed for abortion health care and SRHR after the approval of the National Self-Care Guidelines and the Life Skills and Health Education Guidelines for the Out of School Adolescent and Youth. As a result, Post-Abortion Care was included in Uganda’s National Guideline on Self-Care Interventions for Health and Well-being. This milestone ensures that women and girls can access abortion services and information as and when they need it.10
In Ghana, the Ghana Health Services (GHS) issued a nationwide directive for all health facilities to establish disability desks to enhance access to healthcare for persons with disabilities. This follows years of advocacy by Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) and other CSOs. Besides advocacy engagement, GNAD submitted a position paper to GHS and the Ministry of Health. The directive Ghana puts close to achieving the goal of improving access to accessible SRH and reducing the barriers that hinder SRH-seeking behaviour of deaf people.11
In India, civil society organisations have been working at national and sub-national levels to increase access to stigma-free gender- and sexuality-affirming healthcare, education, and socio-legal protection. This has led to legal and policy victories such as collaboration with authorities to modify police rules in Tamil Nadu, ensuring penalties to address harassment faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals.12
In Zimbabwe‘s Murewa District, Rozaria Memorial Trust strategically engaged traditional leaders to address child marriage as a barrier to girls’ education. By educating chiefs on existing laws and demonstrating socioeconomic impacts, the organisation gained support to create the district’s first documented by-laws targeting child marriage. The by-laws mandate educational completion for all young people and require support for married or pregnant girls to return to school. Traditional leaders now actively monitor and prevent child marriages while supporting economic empowerment projects.13
Download the 2026-2030 Strategy
Sources
1https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/family-planning-contraception
2https://desapublications.un.org/publications/world-family-planning-2022-meeting-changing-needs-family-planning-contraceptive-use
3https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11812895/
4https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31691455/
5https://reproductiverights.org/maps/worlds-abortion-laws/
6https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/swp2024-english-240327-web.pdf
7https://www.ggd.world/p/are-men-and-women-scrolling-apart
8https://amplifychangelearn.org/
9https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/quality-health-services
10Case study provided by AmplifyChange, August 2025
11Ibid.
12https://amplifychange.org/grantee-stories/paving-the-way-for-a-more-inclusive-and-just-india/
13Case study provided by AmplifyChange, August 2025
Thank you to our grantee partners for sharing their images
Get in touch
We love to hear from like-minded organisations, partners, and supporters of SRHR. If you’d like to speak about our work further, please reach out.
