Global Presence

The Japanese and the United States governments have been working together for more than a decade to improve global health, first through the US-Japan Common Agenda and now through the USAID-Japan Partnership in Global Health. To build on this foundation and strengthen the collaboration between the two countries, Management Sciences for Health (MSH) established the Japanese Population Leadership and Advocacy Project in 2000. With funding from the William and Flora Hewlett and David and Lucile Packard Foundations, this project is building the capacity of international development leaders in Japan to design and implement effective health programs in the global health arena. The project activities include: the support and development of the Japanese NGO, Health and Development Service (HANDS); the establishment of the Iwamura Fellowship; and conducting an annual course on the design and management of HIV/AIDS projects.

The Japanese NGO, Health and Development Service (HANDS), was established in 2000 to increase the effectiveness of long-term Japanese international health programs. MSH provided support and technical assistance to HANDS at its inception and during its early stages. As HANDS' expertise and reputation grow, MSH's role is shifting from technical assistance to collaborative partnership, as seen in two illustrative projects:

• In collaboration with MSH, HANDS developed the Reproductive Health and HIV Prevention Project in Amazon River Communities in the Manicore region of Brazil. Since the creation of the project, HANDS has been able to leverage additional funding from the Japanese government to include two more components to the project: strengthening community health services and improving the community's health status in Manicore Municipality. The project was designed to strengthen training and management at the municipal level, focusing on building the capacity of community health workers (CHWs) to address the chronic shortage of financial and human resources. The 119 CHWs in the municipality have been trained by HANDS to provide basic maternal and child health services to their residents. Since 2004, HANDS staff have been supervising CHWs and accompanying them on their home visits. The supervision has helped to identify problems CHWs were experiencing (some coverage areas were too large, some areas lacked an identified CHW). In consultation with the Health Secretariat, HANDS is helping the CHWs to solve these problems and enabling them to work more efficiently. In addition, HANDS is active in providing health promotion messages to the communities, including activities targeted at public school children and male workers at Gethal Forest Managing Unit. HANDS has provided over 80 health promotion activities, covering topics such as oral hygiene, parasite control, organizing health committees, HIV/AIDS/STD and Alcohol Awareness.
   
• Revitalizing the Health Care System in Afghanistan: MSH is assisting the Ministry of Public Health to rebuild Afghanistan's health structure. Between 2003 and 2005, HANDS coordinated a core component of this effort—the National Health Resources Assessment, which has yielded valuable data for health planning all over the country. During this period, HANDS also provided crucial assistance in building the capacity of health management and information officers and managing the numerous grants provided to local NGOs.

The Iwamura Fellowship, was established in honor of Dr. Noburu Iwamura, a Japanese physician whose work inspired MSH's founder Dr. Ron O'Connor. The fellowship brings young Japanese professionals to work on MSH field projects and to gain skills and experience in designing and implementing health programs. This program has placed nine Japanese professionals in year-long assignments with MSH field projects in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The fellowship is designed so that the fellows enrich MSH programs with their technical contributions while broadening their management skills by working with experienced MSH staff. Several returning fellows have taken senior positions in international development with the Japanese government, and two fellows work full-time with MSH and HANDS.

For the past decade, MSH has collaborated with the Foundation for Advanced studies in International Development (FASID)to conduct an annual course on the design and management of HIV/AIDS projects. The course methodology focuses on a multisectoral program framework, which is based on the Project Cycle Management Tool developed by FASID. The course began with only Japanese participants, but has since expanded to include participants from developing countries. In 2003, the course made its debut in Africa with Japanese and Tanzanian participants engaged in tackling the challenges surrounding HIV/AIDS programming. The course has proven that diverse groups can develop a common understanding of problems and generate practical solutions.
 

The Japanese Population Leadership and Advocacy Project is made possible by the generous support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.