Featured Projects

Communication for Behavior Change: Expanding Access to Private Sector Health Products and Services Project in Afghanistan

Afghanistan, with a population of nearly 24 million people, has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world—an average of 257 deaths per 1,000 births according to UNICEF (2006). A large percentage of these deaths are due to common but preventable diseases such as malnutrition, diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, and typhoid. Afghanistan also has the world's second-worst rate of mothers dying during childbirth, with 1,600 deaths per 100,000 births. Access to health care is limited, especially in rural areas where health problems are the greatest.

In April 2006, Constella Futures launched the USAID-funded Communications for Behavior Change: Expanding Access to Private Sector Health Products and Services in Afghanistan (COMPRI-A) project.  Through COMPRI-A, Constella Futures are increasing access to health information and products by strengthening private sector capacity through a comprehensive and integrated social marketing program. The primary objectives of this program are to:

• Continue existing social marketing initiatives with no interruption.
• Scale up existing social marketing initiatives to reach more women and children, primarily in rural areas.
• Enhance sustained behavior change around reproductive, maternal and child health product and service use.
• Establish a local, Afghan-owned and managed not-for-profit social marketing organization.

To achieve these objectives the COMPRI-A team is working to employ the efficiencies inherent of the commercial sector to improve health conditions in concert with the Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan.  In addition to continuing to support existing socially marketed products such as condoms, oral and injectable contraceptives, bednets, oral rehydration salts, and chlorinated water treatment solution, the COMPRI-A team will be introducing additional products, including iron folate tablets, micronutrient sprinkles, and clean home delivery kits. These products are proven solutions to reducing maternal anemia, infant malnutrition, and other health factors that contribute to high rates of maternal, infant, and child mortality.

Sub contractors to the COMPRI-A project are Management Science for Health (MSH), BearingPoint, and QED Group.