New Web Site Highlights Reproductive and Child Health Project in West Africa EngenderHealth Press Release April 12, 2005 On the occasion of World Health Day 2005, the Action for West Africa Region Reproductive Health and Child Survival Project (AWARE-RH) launches its new Web site, http://www.aware-rh.org. Echoing the World Health Day 2005 theme of “Make every mother and child count,” the Web site supports AWARE-RH’s aim to im- prove reproductive and maternal and child health services across 18 countries in West Africa. As a clearinghouse for best prac- tices and lessons learned, the site also serves as a resource for project partners, health institutions, medical profession- als, and others engaged in the common cause of improving the lives of millions of West Africans. The Web site was developed by EngenderHealth, which launched the AWARE-RH five-year initiative in July 2003, sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). As the managing agency, EngenderHealth collaborates with three partner organizations, Abt Associates, Academy for Educational Development (AED), and Management Sciences for Health (MSH). To- gether, the group works to strengthen family planning, maternal health, and child health services, malaria prevention and treat- ment, integration of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS preven- tion, health-sector reform, stakeholder advocacy, and capacity building for regional institutions throughout the region. While highly diverse in their language, population size, cul- ture, politics, and economic status, all West African countries share common challenges­poverty, poor health and social ser- vices, gender inequity, and civil strife. The region contains some of the world’s poorest countries and exhibits some of the worst health indicators. Use of family planning, reproductive health, and child survival services is low because of weak na- tional programs, poor-quality services, inadequate information, and insufficient human and financial resources. High levels of cross-border migration compound these problems. EngenderHealth and its partners recognize that the common needs shared across West Africa’s porous borders require a unified, region wide response. By engaging and linking select regional health institutions, the AWARE-RH project builds a community of effective common response. "One of AWARE’s visions is to further develop a network of strong, capable, vibrant, and sustainable regional health institutions," explains Dr. Isaiah Ndong, Pro- ject Director. "As a dynamic information-sharing vehicle, the AWARE-RH Web site will be a vital tool in sharing best program models and practices among countries in the region.” To ensure that all key audiences can access the information, a French- language version of the site will be launched soon. Headquartered in Accra, Ghana, the AWARE-RH project involves the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Libe- ria, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Founded in 1943, EngenderHealth is a nonprofit organization that has been working internationally for more than 30 years to sup- port and strengthen reproductive health services for women and men worldwide. Since its inception, its work has improved the health of more than 100 million individuals in 90 countries. In 2002, EngenderHealth received the United Nations Population Award. Further information about the organization is available at http://www.engenderhealth.org For more information, please contact: Carrie Svingen EngenderHealth 440 Ninth Avenue New York, NY 10001 Tel.: +1-212-561-8538 mailto:csvingen@engenderhealth.org