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Improving Health and Well-Being In Afghanistan

Based in Kabul, our Afghanistan offices are led by Afghan professionals with extensive experience in the public and private sectors. Programs and achievements
Since 2006, Futures Group has employed more than 65 staff working with the public and private sectors in Afghanistan to improve health and well-being. Based in Kabul, Futures Groups program presence in Afghanistan covers nearly all of the countrys 34 provinces. The USAID-funded Communication for Behavior Change: Expanding Access to Private Sector Health Products and Services Project in Afghanistan (COMPRI-A) is increasing the capacity of the local private sector to provide high-quality health products and services. The comprehensive social marketing program includes targeted research on the private sector market; distribution; improved pharmaceutical management and production; innovative behavioral change communication strategies; and public-private sector activities. Futures Group is working with the government of Afghanistan to harness the efficiencies of the commercial sector to improve health services and care. To reduce high rates of maternal, infant, and child mortality, the project is introducing iron folate tablets, condoms, oral and injectable contraceptives, oral rehydration salts, and chlorinated water treatment solutions. Througout, we have worked with the project-initiated Afghan Social Marketing Organization (ASMO), a local group that now has the technical and business skills to implement social programs beyond the conclusion of the project. In collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and local partner Youth Health and Development Organization, Futures Group opened the first-ever male health clinics in Afghanistan, also through COMPRI-A. Based in Kabul City with a special focus on men who have sex with men (MSM), they are led by physicians who provide medical services and counseling. The clinics also test for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Individuals who test positive receive additional counseling and necessary medicines. Given the extreme sensitivity of the MSM issue in Afghanistan, outreach activities are done informally through existing MSM networks. Based on the one- year pilot, activities may be expanded to other major cities within the country. The Afghanistan HIV/AIDS Prevention Project, funded by the Ministry of Public Health through a World Bank grant, develops evidence-and rights-based strategies for policy, advocacy, and communication. Futures Group fosters an enabling environment for HIV programs and supports activities that increase HIV prevention knowledge and reduce stigma among key audiences. Futures Group led advocacy efforts and provided technical assistance for the development and approval of a comprehensive national policy on opiod substitution therapy, and is supporting the government as it develops its first national HIV policy.

A Record of Results
Developed national multi-sector Policy on Opiod Substitution Therapy with the Ministry of Public Health. Assisted first Afghan pharmaceutical company to achieve ISO 9001:2008 certification. Implementing quality assurance training for skilled birth attendants in 364 facilities across 13 provinces. Conducted harm reduction and behavior change communiation training for law enforcement and prison staff, youth, women, and religious groups. Offered first-ever clinical services specifically for men who have sex with men.

Futures Group One Thomas Circle, NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 U.S.A. Tel: 202.775.9680 Fax: 202.775.9694 Futures Group Europe, Ltd. 63-64 Margaret Street London W1W 8SW U.K. Tel: +44 (0) 2076.375.083 Fax: +44 (0) 2081.273.776 Futures Group India, Pvt., Ltd. DLF Building No. 10-B, 5th Floor DLF Cyber City, Phase-II Gurgaon - 122002 (Haryana) India Tel: 91.124.4702000 Fax: 91.124.4702042 www.futuresgroup.com

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We also foster collaboration with the media to produce television and radio broadcasts aimed at raising awareness about HIV transmission and prevention. In addition, our project is training a cadre of youth, women, and religious leaders to raise awareness about HIV in their communities and among their peers. The USAID Health Services Support Project (HSSP) focuses on improving the delivery of high-quality health care services in 364 health facilities across 13 provinces in Afghanistan. To increase the number of skilled attendants, Futures Group is strengthening the quality of midwifery education and providing grants to community and hospital midwifery schools. We are also increasing the capacity of the MoPH to design and implement effective behavior change communication programs and increase community involvement in the protection and promotion of health. Finally, HSSP works to integrate gender-sensitive practices into health service delivery through culturally appropriate methods such as training, supportive supervision, and creation of an enabling policy environment. In other work, Futures Group supported the Grant Management Solutions Project by providing short- term technical support to Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanisms and Principal Recipients in governance and leadership; financial and grants management; procurement and supply management; monitoring, evaluation, and reporting; and improving the

effectiveness of civil society organizations and local consultants. To learn more about Futures Groups capabilities and work in Afghanistan, contact: Shannon Hader, Vice President and Director of the Center for Health Systems and Solutions at shader@futuresgroup.com.

Fostering Sustainable Afghan Partners

Futures Group established an Afghan-owned and managed non-profit organization that will continue to support social marketing in areas such as reproductive health, HIV and AIDS, and maternal child health initiatives. ASMO is the first project-supported local NGO in any sector to independently implement activities, manage USG and other donor funds, and continue to anticipate and meet local needs to improve well-being in Afghanistan. Futures directly engages local Afghan-managed NGOs in community health meetings, a religious leaders as influencers program, dissemination of mobile cinema health messages, and ongoing quality improvement training for private sector doctors and pharmacists.