In January 2016, 22 family planning advocates from 14 countries gathered in Nusa Dua, Indonesia to take part in the first international advocacy diffusion workshop hosted by the Advance Family Planning (AFP) initiative. For participants, it was an opportunity to learn about AFP’s evidence-based advocacy approach, apply it to their own work, and receive a small grant to implement their plans. For AFP, the workshop provided an opportunity to take strategic advocacy efforts to scale—broadening the initiative’s reach to new geographies and demonstrating the value of investing in advocacy to more organizations.

After the workshop, nine organizations in eight countries successfully applied for grants to implement their advocacy strategies. Within a year of receiving funds, five accomplished their advocacy objectives—resulting in 16 advocacy wins—with the four remaining nearing completion as of late 2017.