Shared vision, openness and trust
Rutgers connects civil society organisations to form alliances and partnerships for sustainability.
Mutually beneficial partnerships work when there is equity and an open culture of sharing, shared vision and trust. When organisations of different capacities join hands and work together well, their overall effectiveness is enhanced.
Building alliances is not always easy. Not everyone has an equal voice at the table and this can create power imbalances and reduce effectiveness. Time is needed to address these issues.
Key alliances for Rutgers
Get Up, Speak Out
Since 2011, 65 civil society organisations (CSOs) from Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, India, Kenya, Malawi, Pakistan and Uganda have been building strong alliances.
Their ambition is for all young people, especially girls and young women, to be empowered to realise their sexual and reproductive health and rights in societies that are positive towards young people’s sexuality.
These organisations joined forces to have a bigger impact, gain greater access to key decision-makers and increase their collective public profile.
They were supported by a consortium of Dutch and UK-based organisations led by Rutgers and financed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2016, this initiative became Get Up Speak Out (GUSO).
GUSO promoted southern leadership and ownership. Since then, the alliances have continued to champion young people’s SRHR and enjoy a strong position in civil society and are viewed as an important partner and a respected voice by governments.
Countdown 2030 Europe
Rutgers is one of ten core partners in Countdown 2030 Europe, a consortium of European NGOs working on SRHR.
In Europe and with EU Institutions, the consortium holds donors accountable for policy and funding commitments to achieve universal access to reproductive health and family planning.