GE Foundation brought on Dalberg as a partner to design and implement strategy for their Safe Surgery 2020 (SS2020) program, a three-year, $25 million commitment to improving access to safe, affordable surgical care in low and middle-income countries. Safe Surgery 2020 rolled out programming in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Cambodia over the course of five years addressing the root causes of inadequate access to surgery, and effectively advocated for policy change, strengthened and supported the surgical workforce, tested and scaled innovations, as well as shared insights and elevated surgery within the global health community.

Dalberg supported GE Foundation throughout the Design Phase and post-design to host and coordinate the program.

The Design Phase had four specific aims:

1. Conduct human-centered design research in Ethiopia, SS2020’s pilot country, to inform programmatic decisions
2. Build a detailed implementation plan for the next 3-5 years
3. Collaborate with implementing partners and pilot country stakeholders to co-design the initiative and prepare them for the full launch, and
4. Plan and execute an official initiative launch as a UN General Assembly (UNGA) side event

Dalberg hosted and coordinated the SS2020 program post-Design Phase. Since its launch in 2016, Dalberg has:

1. Managed and coordinated the initiative globally
2. Strategically engaged funding partners to maximize impact and collective action
3. Co-created clear messaging to amplify Safe Surgery 2020 brand presence, and
4. Guided the process for expansion of the program to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.