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USAID and MCSP
MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT
Community health worker in Afghanistan giving a presentation
Koki Agarwal
Koki Agarwal
Director
Twitter

Dear friends,

“As we listen to some of the most thoughtful voices around the world, over and over again we hear the need to be independent.”

These words from USAID Administrator Mark Green underpin all we do at MCSP as our work winds down. After five years and across 52 programs, we’re handing the reigns back to 32 countries that are now better equipped to continue their journey to self-reliance.

Countries with stalled – or even declining – health indicators are performing better and now gathering the data needed to make informed decisions and deliver high-quality care. They’re “ending the game of chance” with improved access to essential medicines, and shifting culturally in ways that bode well for the health of women and children thanks to gender transformative health strategies.

Over and over, in landscapes as diverse as Egypt and Guatemala, we see the same thing: communities don’t want a hand out, they want a hand up.

Private sector partnerships are helping countries achieve this independence. Since 2001, USAID has created more than 1,500 public-private partnerships across nearly every industry to expand its reach and capacity.

Through numerous Global Development Alliances – Survive & Thrive, Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action, mPowering Frontline Health Workers, and Saving Mothers, Giving Life – MCSP deepened our impact and accelerated countries’ abilities to own their own health goals.

We agree with Administrator Green: the future of development lies in “steering more than rowing.” Thankfully, the Sustainable Development Goals were designed to address some of the world’s most challenging problems in tandem with the communities they serve. As countries increasingly take the helm and steer, we will keep rowing with them to a brighter future.

Koki Agarwal, MD, MPH, DrPH
Director

VIEW FROM THE FIELD

A community health worker in Madagascar shares details about the local clinic with a young mother.

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OUR COUNTRY IMPACT
Recognizing a gap in trained health providers to serve rural indigenous women in the Western Highlands, MCSP supported the Guatemalan Ministry of Health to establish the country's first ever professional Midwifery Technical Training program. Midwifery is now institutionalized within the local university system, and a professional career pathway has been established for midwives committed to serving this neglected population.
Visit Our Guatemala Country Page
When governments plan, manage and fund their own health institutions, resilient health systems often result. India is living proof. After initial USAID investments, the country committed $46.30 million from domestic resources to establish 3,255 Health and Wellness Centers across 11 states. In part with MCSP support, these Centers now bring vital health care services to previously unreached communities – positively impacting the health of more than 65.3 million people.
Visit Our India Country Page
In four regions of Guinea devastated by Ebola, MCSP helped to restore health services in 97% of facilities. From provider training and supervision to the provision of key medical materials and job aids, the results have been dramatic: a 150% increase in assisted deliveries (while postpartum hemorrhage cases went down), nearly 80% increase in treatment of severe pre-eclampsia & eclampsia with magnesium sulfate, and treatment for pneumonia and diarrhea up 525% and 67%, respectively.
Visit Our Guinea Country Page
OUR FEATURED RESOURCES
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human capacity development icon
WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
What's the recipe for
health facility success?

1 part staff ownership
Heavy dose of mentorship
Several pinches of quality assurance

Learn more in this video on
MCSP's Model Training Center
in DR Congo.

Photo Credits

Kate Holt/Jhpiego
Karen Kasmauski/MCSP
Mubeen Siddiqui/MCSP
Alisha Horowitz/Jhpiego


This content is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of the Cooperative Agreement AID-OAA-A-14-00028. The content is the responsibility of the Maternal and Child Survival Program and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
 

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