In many countries, civil society organisations play a critical role in pushing for social protection reforms — but only when they have the technical capacity and collaborative networks to do so effectively. Too often, these capacities are underdeveloped, leaving civil society voices marginalised in policy debates.
Catalyzing Change is a three-year programme in which RAISE collaborates with five civil society partners across Uganda, South Africa, Ukraine, Armenia, and Indonesia to strengthen their ability to conduct high-quality research and translate it into effective advocacy for social protection reform.
The programme supports partners through tailor-made capacity development courses on topics such as the political economy of social protection and macroeconomic financing. Partners are also supported in producing and disseminating knowledge products — policy briefs, research papers, and comparative analyses — through national workshops and policy dialogues.
Beyond individual capacity, the programme builds collaboration between partners across the five countries, and between each partner and wider civil society networks, governments, and international actors.
The overall goal is improved access to social protection for vulnerable groups — achieved by ensuring that civil society organisations don’t just have a seat at the table, but the tools to shape what happens there.
