On June 21, 2023, Banyan Global hosted a launch event for the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Learning Manual for Health Supply Chain Management in Madagascar. The manual was developed under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Improving Market Partnerships and Access to Commodities Together (IMPACT) program, in collaboration with IMPACT consortium partners, USAID, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Population, Social Protection and the Promotion of Women, and the National Council of Women in Madagascar (CNFM).

The GESI manual provides managers with information and tools to identify and address gender-based constraints, aiming to drive behavioral change and improve the quality of Madagascar’s health supply chain. The manual summarizes challenges in the health supply chain and promotes the understanding of needs and experiences of women, girls, men, boys, and gender-diverse individuals to improve health equity and human rights.

The event opened with four stakeholder presentations. The Director of the Ministry of Public Health’s Agency of Medicine, Dr. Hoby Ravelomampianina, spoke about integrating GESI principles into the health supply chain to achieve Universal Health Care coverage. USAID’s Gender Focal Point, Tsiry Randrianavelo, discussed the Agency’s vision for gender equality and inclusive development. Mohamed Diallo, IMPACT’s Chief of Party, provided an overview of the project and of how IMPACT activities have been enhanced by the integration of GESI approaches. Banyan Global’s IMPACT GESI Lead, Morgan Mickle, presented the manual’s contents and key points of partner collaboration during development.

Next, Malanto Rabary, Banyan Global’s IMPACT GESI Advisor, facilitated a panel with representatives from the Ministry of Public Health, the Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers of Madagascar (AGPM), CNFM, and IMPACT’s Supply Chain Distribution Team. The panelists discussed their experiences providing input for the manual and shared how it will be used by their organizations.

The AGPM representative highlighted the importance of building a GESI perspective into her work, explaining that many individuals in the health supply chain do not understand critical GESI concepts. As a result, women’s and girls’ health needs may be unmet due to disinterest, stigma, or misconceptions.

The CNFM representative shared that by collaborating with IMPACT’s GESI activities, women leaders in their association have enhanced their capacity to advocate for gender equality. She added that the manual will serve as a useful tool for further mainstreaming of GESI issues.

The General Director of the Promotion of Women at the Ministry of Population, Dr. Rova Rabetaliana, provided closing remarks. Banyan Global is proud to have led the development of this GESI manual, which will be a valuable tool to support strengthening an inclusive and equitable health supply chain in Madagascar beyond the conclusion of the IMPACT program.