15 October 2008

U.S.-Funded Program Aims to Balance Human, Environmental Needs

Public-private partnership will target rural areas in Congo, Kenya, Nepal

An elephant strolls through the Tsavo East National Park in Kenya.

By Daniel Gorelick
Staff Writer

Washington — The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Johnson & Johnson, a pharmaceutical and consumer health company, formed a three-year partnership that will invest $3 million for an integrated health and conservation program in rural communities in Kenya, Nepal and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Representatives of USAID and Johnson & Johnson announced the initiative at a press conference October 8. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), an international nonprofit conservation organization, will administer the aid.

“We are very pleased to join WWF and Johnson & Johnson in this unique partnership, as such strategic alliances with the private sector and other nontraditional partners increase and sustain USAID's development impact,” said Kent Hill, assistant administrator of USAID’s Global Health Bureau. “By combining our resources and capabilities, we can help improve people’s health and build goodwill for conservation efforts that address community needs.”

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

More than 1 billion people live in remote areas of great biological diversity. Remote communities frequently lack access to basic services such as education and family planning.

A Maasai sprays cattle to fight ticks in the Amboseli national park in Kenya.

The result is rapid population growth that threatens ecosystems because, as communities grow, they deplete increasing amounts of natural resources. To combat this requires integrating population, health and environmental services, according to USAID.

Basic health services, family planning and natural resources management are connected and interdependent, according to Hill. Aid should be integrated and not focus only on one of these categories. Specific activities will include family planning, obstetric health, HIV/AIDS education, natural resources management and conservation education.

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

“Government cannot manage social issues alone,” Hill said. By partnering with private companies and nongovernmental organizations, government aid programs can accomplish more. For every dollar contributed by the United States, $2.70 comes from private sources, according to Hill.

The initiative reflects the Johnson & Johnson philanthropic philosophy, which focuses on community-based approaches, said Sharon D’Agostino, vice president of worldwide corporate contributions and community relations at Johnson & Johnson. “Our previous successes with WWF lead us to believe that the populations reached through this new partnership will experience life-changing, long-term differences in their health and in their environment.”

WWF will administer the program and coordinate aid. Money will be used to expand aid to currently served areas, where infrastructure is already in place, and also will be used to add new areas of service, according to Tom Dillon, senior vice president of field programs at WWF.

USAID’s population, health and environment aid program is based on 2002 legislation stating that under the Child Survival and Health Programs Fund, a portion of the funds allocated for family planning and reproductive health should be used “in areas where population growth threatens biodiversity of endangered species.” The program focuses on delivering aid to countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Between $1 million and $3 million are allocated annually.

“The outcome of this alliance will be greater than that of any individual partner alone,” D’Agostino said.