According to USAID, Global Development Alliances (GDAs) are the Agency’s “premiere model for public-private partnerships, helping to improve the social and economic conditions in developing countries and deepen USAID’s development impact.” Since 2001, USAID has created more than 1,500 such partnerships across nearly every industry to expand its reach and capacity. MCSP played a key role in assisting numerous GDAs to deliver lifesaving care to women and children around the world:
Survive & Thrive
Survive & Thrive: Professional Associations, Private Sector and Global Health Scholars Saving Mothers, Newborns and Children was a unique and historic global development alliance (GDA) to improve survival rates for women and children around the world. MCSP provided management support to the alliance, which mobilized U.S. obstetric, pediatric and midwifery professional associations alongside USAID, the private sector, and civil society organizations in a first of its kind partnership to improve the quality of facility-based maternal, newborn and child health services to reduce preventable maternal and child deaths. The American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Nurse-Midwives, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Johnson & Johnson, Laerdal Global Health, NICHD, Jhpiego, Save the Children, and MCHIP signed on to the partnership initiated by the USAID to increase the availability of high-quality, high-impact maternal, newborn and child health services in health facilities around the world. To learn more about the alliance, click here.
Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action
Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA) delivered vital health information via mobile phones to new and expectant mothers living in poverty throughout the developing world. Hosted by the United Nations Foundation, MCSP provided management support to the service, which provided age and stage-based messages aligned with global best practices, empowering women to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. MAMA was launched in 2011 by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as a public-private partnership between USAID, Johnson & Johnson, United Nations Foundation, mHealth Alliance and BabyCenter. For more information about the service, click here.
mPowering Frontline Health Workers
mPowering Frontline Health Workers (mPowering) is a multisectoral partnership working to accelerate the use of mobile technology to improve the skills and performance of frontline health workers, as part of a global effort to end preventable child and maternal deaths. mPowering focuses on four key areas:
- Developing global tools for training via mobile devices;
- Strategy, support, and catalytic funding for country programs;
- Building the evidence base for mHealth through research, and sharing global learning; and
- Advocacy for the use of mobile technology to train and support frontline health workers.
mPowering is a partnership of USAID, and more than 100 collaborating organizations from the public and private sectors. MCSP served as partnership secretariat, and the Program provided financial management, human resources, communications, and administrative support, as well as technical partnership. For more information on the mPowering partnership, click here.
Saving Mothers, Giving Life
Saving Mother’s Giving Life (SMGL) was launched by Secretary Hillary Clinton in 2012 as part of the President’s Global Health Initiative. The aim of the partnership — to reduce maternal deaths by 50% in targeted areas with alarming rates of maternal mortality — required going beyond “business as usual” and implementing innovative and proven strategies to prevent maternal deaths. SMGL was initially designed to build on the foundation of relationships, platforms, partners and expertise established through many USG-led efforts (including PEPFAR, USAID and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). However, in March 2012, SMGL evolved from a USG initiative to a public-private partnership with the inclusion of Merck for Mothers, Every Mother Counts, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The Norway Government and Project Cure joined the partnership in July 2012 and May 2013, respectively. MCSP enabled the function of the secretariat of SMGL, provided management, operations, and administrative support, as well as technical expertise and oversight on deliverables. To learn more about SMGL, click here.
