Advocacy

ACHA Advocacy ECHO Program - Series 2

Strengthening Communication for Cervical Cancer Elimination Across Africa

The ACHA Advocacy ECHO Series 2 builds on the first series, which focused on strengthening advocacy capacity, policy engagement, coalition building, and community-led action for cervical cancer elimination across Africa.

The second series is a five-month Pan-African webinar program jointly delivered by the ECHO Institute, International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS), African Cervical Health Alliance (ACHA), and the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC).

Following the first series, Series 2 has been established to strengthen communication planning and execution for cervical cancer elimination by equipping stakeholders with practical tools and best practices that can be adapted to their local contexts.

Through this continued learning journey, participants will explore how effective communication can build trust, counter misinformation, reduce stigma, and strengthen demand for cervical cancer prevention, screening, early detection, and care, meaningfully contributing to national and regional cervical cancer elimination goals.

Closing the Gaps in Advocacy

Cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in Africa, despite being preventable. Many grassroots CSOs, particularly those led by survivors and caregivers, have demonstrated strong commitment to ending the disease.

However, they face persistent challenges, including:

Limited training in policy engagement
Unclear advocacy frameworks
Sporadic resource mobilization
Inconsistent communication

The ACHA Advocacy ECHO addresses these gaps by strengthening the confidence, competence, and coordination of grassroots organizations and ensuring advocacy efforts are strategic, evidence-based, and impactful.

Grounded in the Project ECHO model, the program delivers:

Expert-led sessions for technical and strategic guidance
Peer-to-peer learning to foster shared experience and collaboration
Mentorship opportunities to build long-term advocacy capacity

Program Modules & Topics

Participants will:

Strengthen communication planning and implementation for cervical cancer programmes.
Learn practical strategies to address misinformation, stigma, myths, and vaccine hesitancy.
Explore successful communication approaches and country case studies from across Africa.
Exchange experiences, lessons learned, and best practices with experts and peers across the continent.
Access practical communication tools, IEC resources, and recommendations that can be adapted to local contexts.
Build lasting professional networks through a Pan-African community of practice.
Receive a Certificate of Participation upon completion of the webinar series.

Expected Impact

Increased Advocacy Capacity – practical skills in policy engagement, communication and mobilization
Stronger Policy Influence – development and presentation of evidence-based policy briefs to stakeholders
Sustainable Networks – participation in a Pan-African community of practice
Stronger Civil Society Leadership – CSOs empowerment to become credible partners in national cervical cancer elimination efforts
Increased Community-Led Accountability – Through the ACHA ASPIRE Cervical Health Scorecard and validated IEC materials, advocates are positioned to generate community evidence, monitor progress, identify service delivery gaps, and hold governments and stakeholders accountable for commitments made towards cervical cancer elimination.

Every last Wednesday of the Month
3:30 pm EAT | 12:30 pm GMT
Multilingual Translation: English & French available

Join the Movement

By scaling community-led advocacy and prioritizing inclusion and equity, ACHA is ensuring that no woman is left behind in the fight against cervical cancer in Africa.