Dear Colleagues,

Over the last four years, WomenLift Health has worked directly with mid- and senior-level women working in global health to build leadership skills and develop peer networks to change the face of leadership in the sector. As WomenLift has increased our footprint with the number of fellowship participants in our signature Leadership Journey program and expanded into new geographies, we have upheld our values of being a data-driven, learning organization whose program designs are driven by local voices.

To this end, we have recently completed a series of stakeholder analyses in the countries and regions where we already operate—North America, India, and East Africa—as well as in Europe and Nigeria, where we soon plan to expand. In each geography, we have partnered with local research organizations to interview relevant stakeholders about what they see as the greatest barriers and enablers to women’s leadership to develop an understanding of the unique context in each country/region. We use this data, along with ongoing feedback we collect from our participants and partners, to ensure our programing aligns with the distinct needs in each place and responds to shifts in the context as needed.

As we conducted these assessments, interviewees frequently expressed interest in the findings—especially given the dearth of available data about women’s leadership, specifically in the global health sector. Thus, we are pleased to share our findings in the interest of transparency and with the hope it can encourage others to contribute to this global movement. We found the similarities and differences across the countries to be fascinating and hope you will too.

Sincerely,
Amie Batson