Launching in 2013, the Global Alliance for Children (GAC) represented an inspiring commitment to support and improve outcomes for children throughout their life cycle, especially children most at risk of harm. Inspired by a big idea, the GAC set out to create a shared vision and actionable plan that could transform current funding and programming practices to enable a better approach for children. This was to be a large-scale initiative with transformational impact on the ground. Despite early enthusiasm and high interest, the Alliance shuttered its offices in October 2018.
The original GAC vision was “a world where all children reach their full potential” and was later refined to: “Our vision is a world where all children realize their full developmental potential within nurturing, protective family care.” The original mission was “to promote and support integrated evidence-based solutions to improve the lives of children in adversity” and was later honed to: “Our mission is to mobilize knowledge and resources at the global, national and community levels to develop and support multi-sector initiatives that deliver significant, measurable, and sustainable results for children in adversity.”
The purpose of this assessment is to reflect on the successes and challenges of the GAC experience—recognizing the enormous dedication of all involved—and to draw lessons and recommendations thatcan help achieve greater success and sustainability in the future. This report begins with an outline ofthe methodology (page 2). Part one (pages 3-8) summarizes GAC’s formation and progression,highlighting key decisions and their impact. Part two (pages 9-16) synthesizes key take-aways and alsooffers lessons and recommendations in the areas of: Funding, Governance, Country-led Approach, andValue in a Crowded Space. The list of expert stakeholders interviewed appears in Annex I (page 17); theinterview protocol appears in Annex II (page 18); and background on GHR Foundation, Strategy for Humanity, and Maria Alexandra Arriaga (Alex), this report’s author, and appear in Annex III (page 19).
