Project Concern International (PCI), A Global Communities Partner

As a recognized leader in the adept use of local programmatic platforms (such as uniformed services, schools, self-help groups, Care Groups, etc.) in order to reach the most vulnerable populations, PCI has used innovative advocacy, communication, social mobilization and behavior change strategies to prevent and mitigate the spread of infectious diseases (such as polio, TB, Ebola, and HIV/AIDS) and chronic diseases (such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer). Since the beginning of the Ebola outbreak, PCI has reached more than 140,000 people in Liberia through community mobilization and awareness-raising efforts. This includes providing key messages though an established network of community volunteers, including lead mothers of Care Groups, community WASH committees, parent/teacher associations, community health committees, and DRR committees. Through an emphasis on effectively engaging and building the capacity of local stakeholders, including the Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare at the central, county and district levels, PCI has galvanized strategic alliances and established a number of networks, tools and evidence-based approaches that are being utilized to respond to the Ebola outbreak. PCI had been awarded 17 major HIV/AIDS-related programs funded by PEPFAR. As part of this portfolio, with funding from DHAPP, PCI provides technical assistance to the defense forces of Zambia, Malawi, and Botswana to implement, manage, and evaluate comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care and support programs. Through PCI’s collaboration with DHAPP in these three countries, PCI has reached nearly 100,000 service members and their families since 2003. In India, with funding from the Centers for Disease Control, PCI provides intensive technical assistance (TA) to the Indian National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) with a focus on expanding TA and collaboration at national, state and district levels to effectively design, implement and monitor HIV and AIDS programs through strengthening of laboratory systems in India. By the end of the project in March 2015, 60 laboratories will have obtained accreditation, from a baseline of zero in 2009, and this achievement exceeds the PEPFAR target of 50. Working in partnership with the CORE Secretariat in India, the Government of India (GOI), the World Health Organization (WHO), numerous other international and national NGOs, and local district authorities and communities, PCI implements the Core Group Polio Project in 3 high risk districts in the state of Uttar Pradesh. PCI’s social mobilization efforts in Uttar Pradesh, India, increased the number of children fully immunized against polio in PCI’s intervention areas from only 45.3% in 2010-11 to 73% in 2013, according to Annual Health Survey data.

With decades of experience worldwide, PCI has consistently demonstrated its ability to affect positive life cycle changes through the provision of services, shaping MCH behaviors, and in reducing the incidence of life-threatening diseases in mothers, infants and children and their families. With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, PCI reached 323,650 women in Indian through the promotion of participatory learning and collective action in women’s groups, which provide a sense that change is possible, to ultimately liberate these marginalized women and communities to be effective agents of change, resulting in improved MCH behaviors now and in the future. Under the USAID-funded Every Preemie – SCALE (Scaling, Catalyzing, Advocating, Learning, Evidence-Driven) program, PCI is providing practical, catalytic, and scalable approaches for expanding uptake of preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) interventions in 24 USAID priority countries in Africa and Asia. This $9M program began in FY14 and will scale up evidence-based and underutilized PTB and LBW interventions by translating evidence into action at and below the national level, increasing capacity and performance for improved service delivery at facility and community levels, and increasing prioritization of PTB and LBW interventions within national and global policies, protocols, and initiatives. PCI’s legacy program in Guatemala, Casa Materna, provides a maternal waiting home for high-risk pregnant women who can access skilled care delivery, post-partum newborn care, nutrition and family planning counseling, and emergency care if needed. To date Casa Materna has reached approximately 250,000 women and trained 768 caregivers, including parents, grandparents and traditional birth attendants on the Kangaroo mother Care method for newborns.

PCI currently operates disaster risk reduction and humanitarian assistance programs in nine countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas. PCI provides humanitarian assistance to people affected by disasters and complex emergencies; helps governments, local organizations, and communities better manage risk and respond to emergencies when they arise; and integrates efforts to help reduce vulnerability to disasters into all of its ongoing programs. In Indonesia, where coastal communities are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters and weather events, 84 teachers from 43 schools participated in PCI-facilitated school-based disaster simulations in 2014, aiming to improve the disaster preparedness practices of local communities through knowledge and education. In Ethiopia, pastoralist families utilized geo-climatic satellite data for decision-making on where to migrate and locate good grazing land to reduce livestock deaths. PCI’s interventions led to a 47% drop in herd mortality in vulnerable communities representing $8.4 million dollars in livestock surviving compared to average annual losses experienced in the previous three years. PCI estimates that $5.4 million (64% of the value in reduced losses) can be attributed to PCI’s interventions. Under the USAID-funded Barrio Mío Project in Guatemala, PCI is transforming an urban neighborhood by reducing its risk of disasters, strengthening the capacity of its municipal government to manage growth, improving water and sanitation infrastructure, and developing the economic assets of its most vulnerable households. Under Barrio Mio, PCI has assisted 11,500 people through new livelihoods development activities, developed 17 disaster response plans with communities and local government, trained over 14,000 people in water management and proper waste disposal, and improved 2,976 shelters in 17 different communities by incorporating multiple DRR measures. In 2014 in Malawi, PCI reinforced the resiliency of rural communities by increasing household agricultural productivity and access to food for nearly 8,600 people – or 132% of the target – through conservation agriculture and home gardens; reinforced the resiliency of nearly 3,000 people – or 150% of the target – through the expansion and support of the VSL program; and strengthened early detection and community-based management of acute malnutrition, which benefited approximately 3,500 people.

A hallmark of PCI’s work is the organization’s commitment to implement community-based, holistic, integrated programs that are person-centered and recognize the interrelated nature of the issues people and communities face. For example, Women Empowered (WE) is a PCI global initiative dedicated to promoting the economic and social empowerment of women through the formation of self-managed and self-sustaining savings groups. Global membership now totals over 413,391 members in over 30,000 groups and PCI currently has 15 local partners implementing WE in 6 countries, with direct PCI implementation in 6 others. In recognition of the critical role that women can play as agents of change in the health of their families, PCI’s programs related to maternal and child health integrate education on water and sanitation and disease prevention. This is reflected in PCI’s Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-sponsored work in Bihar, India, where 323,650 marginalized women are transforming their families’ health by adopting key sanitation behaviors such as hand washing, early and exclusive breastfeeding of infants, and the intake of iron and folic acid for pregnant mothers, as learned through self-help groups. PCI recognizes the impact and importance of mental health on families and communities, and in the U.S., PCI developed tailored curricula that improved by 40-55% the mental health of vulnerable pregnant women, new mothers, and women of reproductive age participating in support groups. Also in the U.S., PCI became a Certified Enrollment Entity via Covered California (State Health Insurance Exchange) and its 5 Certified Counselors directly provided outreach and education to over 1,500 uninsured families through PCI’s programs and provided 406 enrollment referrals. A testimony to PCI’s long term commitment to the communities it serves, PCI’s four Legacy Programs in India, Guatemala, Mexico and the U.S./Mexico Border have been operating for a combined 63 years, during which time they have served nearly 1.5 million people with lifesaving access to care and services, including safe pregnancy care for Mayan women in Guatemala, access to health assessments and referrals for Mexican immigrants in the U.S.; well-baby clinics in remote slums around Tijuana, Mexico; and support services for street children in New Delhi, India. Finally, PCI has many decades of experience in not only effectively engaging with local entities as partners in transformational development, but also in improving local capacity for sustainable, community-driven change at scale. Throughout 2014, PCI developed and disseminated via a series of regional workshops several new tools and approaches related to these three cross-cutting and fundamental themes, including: Gold Standards of Performance for all three thematic areas, a new set of tools designed to effectively measure changes in local capacity, and the new published Resource Guide for Enhancing Potential for Sustainable Impact.

Economic empowerment is central to women’s ability to overcome poverty, cope with shocks and improve their well-being. When women realize their economic goals, whether it’s growing a business, improving their home or investing in training or education, they’re more resilient and able to provide for themselves and their families. Yet, globally, women continue to trail men in formal labor force participation, land and property ownership, and access to financial services, like credit and savings.

Approaches tailored to reach women must address and overcome the multiple obstacles that can leave women trapped in poverty. PCI’s Women Empowered (WE) program focuses on increasing women’s skills, decision-making power and access to economic resources. Interventions including the formation of savings and lending groups and income-generating activities help women realize their financial goals and overcome persistent, gender-based barriers. As resourceful economic agents, women can take control of their future and support their families and communities.