Sinergias Receives ‘Action for Women’s Health’ Recognition for Its Commitment to Improving Women’s Health

Nearly eighty proposals were awarded among thousands of applications from 119 countries. The award highlights Sinergias’s community-based and intercultural approach in the Colombian departments of Cauca and Vaupés.

Sinergias, the organization that since 2011 has strengthened intercultural public health models in Indigenous, Afro-Colombian, and rural communities in Colombia, was announced as a winner of an Action for Women’s Health award. The latter is a global funding initiative known for its transparency, rigor, and significant impact in the effort to improve the mental and physical health of women and girls worldwide.

Action for Women’s Health is organized and implemented by two key organizations: Pivotal, founded by Melinda French Gates, whose role was to convene the group of philanthropic initiatives providing the funding; and Lever for Change, which issued the call, conducted the evaluation process, and ultimately identified the beneficiary organizations. This effort stems from a commitment announced in 2024 by philanthropist Melinda French Gates to advance women’s empowerment worldwide.

In particular, the Action for Women’s Health call awarded a total of USD 250 million globally, distributed in grants to each of the nearly eighty beneficiary organizations. These were selected from more than 4,000 applicants responding to the call in 119 countries.

Percentage distribution of award-winning organizations by continent/region

Sinergias’s Commitment to Women’s Health in Indigenous, Afro-Colombian, and Rural Communities

“This funding will allow us to continue and expand the work we carry out alongside communities and institutions in Vaupés and Cauca,” explains María Camila Rodríguez, researcher and technical advisor at Sinergias.

“We focus on improving access to quality maternal and perinatal health services, strengthening community-based knowledge systems related to food sovereignty, and developing context-specific strategies to prevent and mitigate gender-based violence, while also supporting women’s leadership and effective participation in community and territorial decision-making spaces.”

Rodríguez adds that the work also integrates mental health, with a particular focus on women and young people, to respond to growing challenges in this area. It further includes initiatives led by persons with disabilities, who are advancing actions to strengthen access to health services and the reasonable accommodations required within their communities, while also participating directly in public policy advocacy processes at both regional and national levels.

Two cross-cutting approaches guide all of these actions. On the one hand, Sinergias works to strengthen the territorial governance of Indigenous organizations through a gender-focused approach. On the other, interculturality—a founding principle of Sinergias—underpins all its work.

“We ensure that every process stems from local knowledge, culture, and worldview. We do not impose external models; rather, we accompany and strengthen existing capacities, complementing them respectfully when necessary,” notes Pablo Montoya, Executive Director of the organization.

Closing meeting of women from different communities involved in the Corazón de Ají project

How Is Action for Women’s Health Awarded?

This award was granted through a rigorous, multi-stage selection process. These stages included technical interviews, administrative reviews, and the participation of an evaluation panel composed of experts in public health, gender, and philanthropy. A key component was the peer review of projects, carried out by other participating organizations.

For Pivotal and Lever for Change, it was essential that the selected initiatives address structural barriers to women’s and girls’ access to health care, demonstrate potential for systemic transformation, have a proven track record, and offer possibilities for replication—always grounded in approaches defined by local contexts and communities.

“I want to see women everywhere making decisions, controlling resources, and shaping policies and perspectives—but women can’t do well unless they can be well,” said Melinda French Gates in November 2025, when the awardees were announced. “These 80+ organizations have proven that when it comes to improving women’s health, progress is possible and solutions exist.”

Cecilia Conrad, Executive Director of Lever for Change, added: “We believe that the best agents of change are those closest to the challenges.”

Learn more about the Action for Women’s Health award at this link, and about the work of Sinergias here.