Advance Africa is a family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH) service delivery project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Advance Africa responds to the continuing need to strengthen FP/RH services in sub-Saharan Africa by offering high-quality services to a broad range of client groups with different reproductive health needs.
Advance Africa works with USAID Missions to scale up existing efforts by closing gaps in service delivery and by building partnerships among public and private health and non-health organizations. We implement family planning initiatives within the broad context of Africa’s HIV/AIDS pandemic. Advance Africa is working with USAID to find the most effective strategies for integrating FP/RH and HIV/AIDS interventions. We are a flexible, comprehensive project able to offer a broad range of state-of-the-art FP/RH expertise and a solid understanding of the African setting.
Our principal strengths are our diverse staff and our ability to draw upon the assets of the Advance Africa consortium partners, which include Management Sciences for Health, Family Health International, the Centre for African Family Studies, the Forum for African Women Educationalists, the Academy for Educational Development, and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.
Our work in South Africa
South Africa is a diverse country with a wide array of resources for and challenges to development. Since the end of apartheid in the 1990s, South Africa has been undergoing an enormous social and economic transformation. The postapartheid government has made progress in its peaceful transition to democracy. However, while several programs have been developed to improve social services, there are still multiple challenges requiring the assistance of the government, the people of South Africa, and the international development community.
Several factors hinder the nationâs development and economic growth. An estimated 20% of the population, 5 to 6 million people, is infected with HIV/AIDS. Recent studies predict that the epidemic could result in a loss of 17% in gross domestic product growth by 2010. In addition, South Africa has the highest rate of adult and child rape in the world, adding to the HIV transmission rate. The recent evidence that male circumcision may lower the transmission of HIV/AIDS may be utilized for new activities within HIV/AIDS programs.
Primary Activities
Advance Africa prepared a paper on three specific issues affecting the integration of family planning and HIV/AIDS services in South Africa:
– Health sector reform
– Quality of care
– Resources (contraceptive security and shortages)