Strengthening Country-Level Gender Action Through Strategic Fund Allocation

The WLEH team has been actively supporting the allocation and management of WLEH and Gender Funds across Orbis country offices. This effort has been led through strong coordination and guidance from Ayisha Diop, Jennifer Tapia Boada, and Lusungu Nyirenda‑Mwami, in close collaboration with Country Directors and Gender Champions in early 2026, ensuring that resources are aligned with national priorities and tailored to local contexts.

Working in strong collaboration with our Monitoring & Evaluation and Finance Teams, the WLEH team has supported countries in navigating allocation processes, tracking expenditures from 2025, and strengthening reporting practices.

A key shift in this cycle has been the increasing proportion of funds administered directly at the country level. This approach will enable more responsive, context-specific implementation of gender-focused activities, reinforcing Orbis’ commitment to embedding gender equity within program delivery and strengthening local ownership.

These funds are supporting a wide range of gender-focused activities aligned with WLEH’s functional areas, including leadership development initiatives such as training for women ophthalmologists and nurses in Mongolia, Ethiopia, Peru, and India, as well as scholarships and professional development opportunities in Vietnam; national-level advocacy and engagement through Women Circles, Coffee Hours, and conferences in countries such as Zambia, Uganda, Ghana, and Bangladesh; and community-level awareness and advocacy efforts, including radio campaigns and gender advocacy initiatives in Zambia, op-eds and communications work in Bangladesh and China, and gender-integrated outreach and training activities in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Vietnam.

The WLEH team remains in continuous communication with country teams to ensure alignment across programs. This support will be further strengthened with the onboarding of the new GESI staff, who will bring additional capacity for in-depth technical guidance, follow-up, and learning across countries.

Learn more about Orbis’ gender work globally here.  

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