Equinet Africa

EQUINET, the Regional Network on Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa, is a network of professionals, civil society members, policy makers, state officials and others within the region who have come together as an equity catalyst, to promote and realise shared values of equity and social justice in health.

EQUINET gathers people to overcome isolation, give voice and promote networking using bottom-up approaches built on shared values. We have come together in a spirit of self determination and collective self reliance working through existing government, civil society, research and other mechanisms and institutions in East and Southern Africa.

EQUINET is building a forum for dialogue, learning, sharing of information and experience and critical analysis. We do this to build knowledge and perspectives, shape effective strategies, strengthen our voice nationally, regionally and globally and to buiild strategic alliances to influence policy, politics and practice towards health equity and social justice.

EQUINET's work covers a wide range of areas identified as priorities for health equity, within the political economy of health, health services and inputs to health, covered in the theme areas shown on this site. EQUINET is governed by a steering committee with representatives from institutions in the region, has leads co-ordinating major areas of work and a secretariat at the Training and Research Support Centre Zimbabwe.

The EQUINET Conference and steering committee identified key areas of work on health equity within our three strategic areas - Reclaiming the resources; Reclaiming the state; Reclaiming collective agency and solidarity.  Building on past work and alliances, EQUIMNET has renewed network leadership and is implementing research, sharing practice, facilitating dialogue, and engaging in different platforms  on therse areas.  Go to Meetings to see information on our webinars on climate justice and register for our next webinar on climate justice and extractives on February 28th. Read about our online regional training on health impact assessment February to May 2024. Visit Publications to read new briefs on urban health innovations related to food, waste, circular economy and climate justice and new publications on taxing for health.   Read and subscribe to the Newsletter for a quick catchup on a range of publications, resources and opportunities related to health equity in the region 

2025 HIA COURSE CALL NOW OPEN! EQUINET Online skills course on Health Impact Assessment April to July 2025
EQUINET through TARSC, with SATUCC, TalkAB[M]R, Nossal Institute of Global Health, C Dora is convening online training in April to July 2025 that include mentored case study work to build HIA capacities in different actors in ESA countries. Applicants for the call should preferably be from an ESA country from state, non- state, labour, professional or academic institutions, and have roles in or an intention to implement HIA. We encourage applicants to apply as a team of up to 4 people, desirably in the same geographical location, with a lead/co-ordinator. We will also consider individual applicants, and if selected may include them within the teams for their country/case study issue. We will consider applicants/teams from outside ESA if their work is relevant to the region or as observers should they wish to initiate future courses.Applicants for the call are asked to email applications to admin [at] equinetafrica.org (admin [at] equinetafrica.org) before 5pm Southern Africa time February 4th 2025. See further information and guidance for applications on the GRANTS page on this website and in the call brief.

EQUINET Webinars on Climate justice and health equity
Climate-related challenges affect every experience and dimension of health equity in the region. EQUINET invites you to explore this with us in a series of cross-cutting webinars in the coming months. The videos of the sessions are available on the EQUINET site as well as a brief of key points arising from each session in the online EQUINET bibliography.  There are also two rapid reviews on climate and health systems and on climate financing and health on the EQUINET website.

Join the webinar on climate justice and land and agroeconomic systems and pandemics in east and Southern Africa on Thursday 28th November 2024
The sixth in EQUINET's series on health equity and climate justice in east and southern Africa hosted by SEATINI and focused on climate justice and health equity in agro-ecology and pandemics in the region will be on Thursday 28th November, 2024 12:00-14:00 Southern African time;  13.00-15:00 East African time. Please register in advance for this meeting at:  https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqdO6gqT4tHdW84THuvRFEJKIvbj1....

See the videos for the previous webinars on various aspects of climate justice and health equity in east and Southern Africa
The fifth in EQUINET's series on health equity and climate justice in east and southern Africa on  Wednesday, 28th February 2024 was hosted by SATUCC and focused on climate justice and health equity in the extractive sector.  We heard inputs from expertise in the region working on environmental and climate law, on extractives and a just transition; and on experiences and actions from a trade union lens. The session will explore the evidence of impacts on health and climate of the extractive sector, and proposed legal, policy, advocacy and other actions at local, national and regional level and in global engagement. To watch the session please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vvGnvDWBI8 and read the brief on the website publications page

The fourth webinar session was on Climate Justice and trade systems hosted by SEATINI  in EQUINET. The webinar focused on how climate intersects with trade systems that impact on health.  We heard from speakers with experience on these issues at community/local level, at national level and at global level.  If you missed it please visit the link here to watch the session - great presentations and discussion!.  You will also find a brief on the deliberations on the EQUINET publications page.

The first webinar on how climate justice intersects with protection of the right to health,  hosted by the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) was successfully held in July with three interesting speakkers from local/national,  regionaland global level and participant views and comments. If you missed it  you can watch the session at this link.

The second webinar session on Climate Justice and Urban food and waste management systems was held on  Tuesday 29th August  hosted by Innovations for Development in EQUINET. The webinar focused on how climate intersects with urban food systens and waste management systems, and their link to water, energy and green spaces.  Speakers presented experience on these issues at community/local level, at national level and at global level.  The full webinar can be viewed at this link 

The third webinar session on Climate Justice and primary health care systems was held on  Wednesday 25th October  hosted by REACH Trust Malawi and IWG  in EQUINET. The webinar focused on how climate intersects with equity oriented primary health care systems.  Speakers presented experience on these issues at community/local level, at national level and at global level.  The full webinar can be viewed at this link

Expanding promising practice on urban health and wellbeing
EQUINET is supporting a community of practice on promising practice for sustained urban and periurban wellbeing in east and southern Africa to share and review evidence on practice features that could be scaled up across countries.  Visit the analytic framework that the community of practice is working with,  see the reports of the regional meetings.  We On this website you can read new reports published in 2024 on holistic case studies on urban health. Please contact us if you are interested in this area of work and have interesting experience, tools and practice to share.

EQUINET Regional meeting May 23 and 24, 2024 Nairobi on Strategies for tackling commercial determinants of health and for urban wellbeing in ESA- read the meeting report on the website
This EQUINET regional meeting, convened by TARSC, gathered people from institutions involved in work in ESA on urban health and health impact assessment HIA. It was held on May 23rd and 24th 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. It used a mix of presentation, discussion and participatory processes to share and review experience and evidence from both urban health work and HIA in ESA on the laws, policies, systems, features, measures and tools that positively impact on health and that make linkages across economic, social, health and ecosystem wellbeing, including to respond to climate change; identify the implications for policy and practice at national, regional and global level and recommendations for policy, technical and wider audiences in and beyond the region on improving health (equity) and climate adaptation in urbanisation and in economic/ commercial activity in ESA. See the meeting report under EQUINET publications on this site and email admin [at] equinetafrica.org for further information.

Call for applicants now open: Online course in 2025 on health impact assessment in east and southern Africa, apply before 5 February 2025. 

EQUINET through TARSC, with SATUCC, TalkAB[M]R, Nossal Institute of Global Health, C Dora is convening online training in April to July 2025 that include mentored case study work to build HIA capacities in different actors in ESA countries. Applicants for the call should preferably be from an ESA country from state, non- state, labour, professional or academic institutions, and have roles in or an intention to implement HIA. We encourage applicants to apply as a team of up to 4 people, desirably in the same geographical location, with a lead/co-ordinator. We will also consider individual applicants, and if selected may include them within the teams for their country/case study issue. We will consider applicants/teams from outside ESA if their work is relevant to the region or as observers should they wish to initiate future courses.

Applicants for the call are asked to email to admin [at] equinetafrica.org (admin [at] equinetafrica.org) before 5pm Southern Africa time February 4th 2025 with HIA TRAINING in the subject line 
  • A maximum one page outline covering, information on the policy/law/ economic activity suggested by the team to be their focus for the mentored HIA for the course, including its location, what specific aspects will be assessed, what health impacts it may have and what the status is of decision-making is on it. Where teams are not certain of this specific information note this for dialogue with convenors.AND If applying as a team provide the team members and lead, their country, institutions, positions, education level and intended or past experience, role in relation to HIA. If applying as an individual provide the applicant country, institution, position, education level and intended or past experience, role in relation to HIA
  • A brief letter confirming availability for all named in the application for the full ten sessions and 3 mentored work blocks with 2 tutorials in each as per the timings on the programme outline, noting familiarity with zoom, indicating internet access and any issues faced, contact information for follow up and confirmation on ability to meet the course fee/request for amount of partial sponsorship.
  • The CV(s) of the team members / applicant.

See further information and guidance for applications in the call brief. Please send any queries on the call to the EQUINET secretariat at admin [at] equinetafrica.org  with HIA TRAINING in the subject line.


Monitoring equity and research policy


Latest Equinet Publications

Abstract book: Strengthening community voice and agency, Zambia, 26-28 January 2005
EQUINET; TARSC; CHESSORE (2005 January)
Themes:
Governance and participation in health
Country
Southern Africa Regional
Southern African regional meeting of civil society organisations in health, 26 November 2003
EQUINET (2003 November)
Themes:
Governance and participation in health
Country
Zimbabwe
Discussion paper 22: Food security, rural development and health equity in Southern Africa
Chopra, M (2004 December)
Themes:
Poverty and health
Country
Southern Africa Regional
Discussion paper 21: Governance, participatory mechanisms and structures in Zambia’s health system: An assessment of the impact of Health Centre Committees (HCCs) on equity in health and health care
Ngulube, T; Mdhluli, L; Gondwe, K; Njobvu, CA; CHESSORE (2004 December)
Themes:
Governance and participation in health
Country
Zambia
Resolucoes da reuniao sobre s alliancas parliamentares para a igualdade na Saude na Africa Austral, 20-22 de Agosto de 2003, Africa do Sul
EQUINET; GEGA; SADC PF (2003 August)
Themes:
Governance and participation in health
Country
Southern Africa Regional
Discussion paper 18: Assessing the impact of Health Centre Committees on health system performance and health resource allocation
Loewenson, R; Rusike, I; Zulu, M; TARSC; CWGH (2004 February)
Themes:
Resource allocation and health financing, Governance and participation in health
Country
Zimbabwe
Discussion paper 20: Expanding treatment access and strengthening HIV and AIDS programmes in ways that strengthen the broader health systems agenda: Issues for the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria
EQUINET; TARSC; IDRC/SDC Research Matters (2004 September)
Themes:
Equity and HIV/AIDS
Country
Southern Africa Regional
Discussion paper 19: Effectiveness of District Health Boards in interceding for the community
Macwan’gi, M; Ngwengwe, A; Institute of Economic and Social Research, University of Zambia (2004 October)
Themes:
Governance and participation in health, Monitoring equity and research to policy
Country
Zambia
Steering Committee briefing: International Society for Equity in Health conference, Toronto, June 2002
Loewenson, R; Maistry, T; TARSC (2002 June)
Themes:
Equity in health
Country
Southern Africa Regional
Steering Committee briefing: Will a new leadership unleash new potentials for health?, August 2002
Loewenson, R; TARSC (2002 August)
Themes:
Equity in health, Governance and participation in health
Country
Southern Africa Regional

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