Communications for Behavior Change: Expanding Access to Private Sector Health Products and Services Project in Afghanistan (COMPRI-A)

Current Projects » Communications for Behavior Change: Expanding Access to Private Sector Health Products and Services Project in Afghanistan (COMPRI-A)

2006-2011

The goal of the USAID-funded Communications for Behavior Change: Expanding Access to Private Sector Health Products and Services in Afghanistan (COMPRI-A) project is to improve the capacity of the private sector to provide health products and services to the Afghan population.

Through COMPRI-A, Futures Group is increasing access to health information and products by strengthening private sector capacity through a comprehensive and integrated social marketing program. The primary objectives of the 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, Futures is working with the Ministry of Health to employ the efficiencies inherent of the commercial sector to improve health conditions. 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 is 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. Activities are nationwide and primarily based out of Kabul, but the project has a further physical presence in five regions and provides coverage in nearly all of the country’s 34 provinces.

Ultimately, the COMPRI-A program will establish a local, Afghan-owned and managed not-for-profit social marketing organization that continues to support a private sector network of product promoters and distributors.

COMPRI-A is a task order project under USAID’s Private Sector Program IQC, on which Futures is a prime contractor. Subcontractors to the COMPRI-A project are Management Science for Health (MSH), BearingPoint, and QED Group.