PROJECT OVERVIEW

Introduction

The SFPS Project is a consortium of four separate agencies funded for a five year period by USAID. The agencies are Tulane University, JHPIEGO Corporation, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communications Programs, and PSI. These agencies are working closely together in West & Central Africa to:

• increase contraceptive prevalance,
• promote reproductive health,
• limit the spread of HIV/AIDS,
• promote child health, and
• increase the program capacity of the regional African health institutions.

The project is currently focusing its efforts in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, and Togo. Within these countries, SFPS has targeted specific populations based on the type of intervention needed to achieve the above goals. In general, these interventions are provided through clinics or social marketing programs.

Project Objectives

The purpose of the project is to increase availability and use of quality Family Planning/Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and maternal and child health services. Specifically, the project seeks to:

• Increase the use of modern family planning methods among women of reproductive age by 1% per year by the year 2000 in the project target areas.

• Increase the proportion of men with multiple partners who report consistent use of condoms by at least 5% over baseline figures in project target areas.

• Increase the capacity of key African Institutions to implement activities in service delivery, training, IEC, and operations research, with minimal reliance on external technical assistance.

Strategy

The SFPS team has developed a list of activities that best address the focus of this project. The team has developed regional strategies designed to:

1. Improve the quality and efficiency of reproductive health services. In addition, educate the patient and provider about long-term and permanent reproductive health methods.
   
2. Strengthen Family Planning, Maternal and Child Health, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and AIDS programs in the private sector.
   
3. Support women's initiatives in Family Planning, Maternal and Child Health, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and AIDS by promoting women's organizations that are active in reproductive health, community outreach and women's empowerment.
   
4. Strengthen adolescent programs in Family Planning, Maternal and Child Health, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and AIDS by promoting and replicating youth initiatives.
   
5. Address reproductive health needs of migrants through counseling and marketing activities.
   
6. Promote institutional sustainability.
   
7. Strengthen collaboration with USAID-sponsored agencies. The SFPS project seeks to collaborate with other USAID projects in West and Central Africa to maximize each agency's abilities.
   
8. Leverage donor support. SFPS will seek joint funding from other agencies to expand activities and ensure continuity.
   
9. Build regional resources that provide local technical expertise.

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