DSW’s Euroleverage project bridges a gap between the world’s largest donors to reproductive health and the organisations providing reproductive health information, services and supplies. The European Union and its Member States have strong policy commitments supporting Reproductive Health and Family Planning (RH/FP) in developing countries, and have historically been a top donor for population assistance. However, EU allocations are extremely difficult to influence; they are decided through a web of European and developing country decision-making processes. Developing country non-governmental organisations (NGOs) often have difficulty navigating this complex and continuously changing aid environment.

Through Euroleverage, DSW aims to leverage $85 million for Reproductive Health and Family Planning by applying a two-pronged approach, targeting both the supply side and the demand side of European funds. Advocacy activities target decision-makers both in Europe and in developing countries in order to increase EU funding for RH/FP programmes, while resource mobilisation activities empower NGOs to access these funds.

Euroleverage works towards the following objectives:

• Increasing European budgets/allocations for RH/FP by $45 million especially in the target countries: To do this successfully, all NGOs involved in the project develop advocacy strategy plans for the country in which they operate, based on the conditions, trends and policy agreements in their specific country. As a result of capacity building from DSW and partners, NGOs develop advocacy strategy plans for the country in which they operate, based on the conditions, trends and policy agreements in their specific country.
  
  As an overall advocacy strategy, Euroleverage monitors the EU financial framework and produces comprehendible and up-to-date publications and presentations on EU aid allocations and budget spending. Euroleverage also provides non-partisan technical advice and assistance to civil servants, Members of Parliament, NGOs andother members of civil society and the public on how to provide more and better aid for RH/FP in developing countries.

• Increasing European disbursements to RH/FP NGOs from unused and underused funds by $40 million: Euroleverage improves NGO and civil society organisations (CSO) understanding of which European funds can be used for RH/FP projects, and howto access these funds. DSW and its regional partners build the capacity of NGOs through training workshops on project design and ongoing technical assistance. The project’s resource mobilisation activities also include publishing print and electronic material outlining funding sources, and alerting NGOs of funding opportunities and calls for proposals. By the end of the project, Euroleverage will support the development and submission of more than 100 consortia proposals forNGOs to access EU RH/FP funding.