Drowning prevention in Uganda is a complex issue due to the lack of information on drowning cases. The CDC and Makerere University have found that the majority of drowning cases happen in lakeside districts (70%), fatal victims were predominantly male (85%), and the average age was 24 years. In lakeside districts, 81% of fatal cases with a known activity at the time of drowning involved boating. In non-lakeside districts, victims were mostly children.
The Global Health Advocacy Incubator is seeking a civil society organization to advocate for the Government of Uganda’s drowning prevention initiatives, including the passage of a National Drowning Prevention Strategy, the implementation of the Inland Water Act regulations, and the adoption of survival swim curriculum in schools.
Project Objectives
Objective 1: Adoption of a national drowning prevention strategy by Government of Uganda to better coordinate and identify interventions by various government ministries to prevent drowning.
Objective 2: Inland Water Act regulations are drafted and implemented to regulate water related activities by boat owners, operators and users to prevent drowning on lakes and other major water bodies.
Objective 3: Support the adoption of water safety and survival swim curriculum in schools by the Ministry of Education.
Objective 4: Raise awareness and generate demand for sustainable drowning prevention policies through media advocacy.
Eligibility:
Who can apply for a grant?
Non-governmental organizations registered in Uganda can apply for this funding opportunity.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with relevant advocacy experience aimed at changing or implementing budget/health policies including but not limited to civil society organizations, educational institutions (for example universities) and independent policy institutions (‘think tanks’).
Applicants must be recognized legal registered entities capable of entering into contractual arrangements, receiving foreign funds for the proposed activities and assuming legal and financial obligations.
If applying for Objectives 1-3, the selected grantee will have proven experience and knowledge in budget advocacy for increased domestic resource allocation and immunization policy and programming. Responses to this RFP should demonstrate strengths, capabilities, and capacity to provide the following:
Experience with health policy advocacy, especially as it relates to increasing domestic health budgets and immunization policy.
Experience with direct advocacy with policymakers at all levels of government, especially the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health.
Experience working with community groups and the media to build demand for health interventions.
If applying for Objective 4, the selected grantee will have proven experience and knowledge in media advocacy, awareness raising including in the context of public health. Responses to this RFP should demonstrate strengths, capabilities, and capacity to provide the following:
Experience with media advocacy,
Experience with direct media engagement with policymakers at all levels of Government, especially the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health.
Experience working with community groups and the media to build demand for interventions by Government.
NGO applicants cannot be the recipients of financial support from any tobacco product manufacturer or the parent, subsidiary or affiliate of a tobacco product manufacturer including PMI IMPACT and Foundation for a Smoke-free World.
The grants program does not fund individuals or government agencies.
Instructions:
This request for proposals contains four objectives. Bidders can respond to one or all four objectives. In the application sheet, each objective is included as a separate tab. Please fill in the information for each objective you are applying for and leave the other tabs blank.
On April 20th, Joyous Ampurire and her daughter, Witness Akansasira, drowned when a canoe capsized on Lake Bunyonyi. Their deaths were deeply personal to one family, but the questions they raise are national. What makes a journey on Uganda's waters safer? Who is responsible for reducing risk? And what must change before another family carries the same loss?
In Ghana, drowning poses a critical public safety and national security issue, requiring an urgent shift in policy priorities and resource allocation. For too long, drowning has been perceived as isolated accidents or personal tragedies rather than a systemic public health problem. It is an urgent yet overlooked public health crisis in Ghana, claiming an estimated 1,100 to 1,400 lives each year. This mortality rate is driven by legislative and funding gaps and inadequate enforcement of water safety regulations. To address these challenges, the Global Health Advocacy Incubator would like to partner with local partners in Ghana to work in line with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global PROTECT framework and national drowning prevention priorities to drive sustainable policy changes.
