Given Hapunda

251 c. Do they increase legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness of the advocacy campaign? d. Do they bring knowledge, evidence and technical support? e. Do they bring other resources to the advocacy resources? f. Do they have global, national or local presence? g. Are their capabilities and strengthens complementing to ours? Though these questions are important in mobilising effective partners, three types of partners seem to make the advocacy campaign effective; coalition building , victim/beneficiary involvement and social mobilization . Coalition building – coalition is when two or more individuals, groups, organisations or states agree to work together in a partnership until their common goal has been achieved. Working together with others strengthens advocacy .However, group dynamics can sometimes affect the effectiveness of the advocacy campaigns. Overall, evidence suggests coalitions than individual actors, have more effective advocacy campaigns. The Zambia Alliance for Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH Alliance) is one such coalition of civil society organisations that have come together to conduct joint advocacy activities aimed at contributing to the reduction of the rates of maternal, newborn and child mortality and morbidity. This coalition was formed after a situation analysis which showed that in Zambia, one out of 22 children die before reaching the age of one, and one in every 13 children does not survive their fifth birthday. The maternal mortality rate among women age 15-49 is 0.74 maternal deaths per 1,000 births, a rate that has fallen by 39 per cent since 2007 (UNICEF, n.d). When five or more organizations working in maternal, neonatal and child health approach government asking for competing improvement to MNCH, the request for each is weakened, however, like a potluck meal, where every guest brings his or her special dish to the table; coalitions allow organisations to pool their strengths in common cause (United Nations, 2017). To ensure the coalition is effective, the following elements should be considered (WHO, 2008): a. Encourage all coalition partners to participate actively. b. Planning events incorporating credible speakers from different partners/organizations. c. Developing a schedule and sequence of activities for maximum positive impact. d. Delegating responsibilities to coalition members, and monitoring specific events and activities. e. Networking to enlarge coalitions and to keep them together. f. Organising training and practice in advocacy, using the framework model proposed in this module, to allow participants to deepen their understanding of advocacy while simultaneously creating new partnerships and alliances.