EngenderHealth
Encyclopedia
EngenderHealth is a 501(3) nonprofit organization
based in New York
, internationally active in contraception
, HIV and AIDS, gender equity, obstetric fistula
, sterilization, and other sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues in dozens of developing countries around the world.
It was founded by Marion Stephenson Olden (née Norton), a eugenics-minded social worker, in 1937 as the Sterilization League of New Jersey (SLNJ) with the purpose "to aid in the preparation, promotion, enactment and enforcement of legislative measures designed to provide for the improvement of the human stock by the selective sterilization of the mentally defective and of those afflicted with inherited or inheritable physical disease."
Encouraged by the eugenic sterilization legislation enacted by Georgia
in 1937, the SLNJ lobbied intensely, although unsuccessfully, between 1939 and 1942 for the passage of a state sterilization law in New Jersey
and conducted an educational program of publications and exhibits designed to promote sterilization.
In 1943, the League was renamed Sterilization League For Human Betterment and decided to expand its activities nationwide. After objections from relatives of Ezra Gosney, founder of the Human Betterment Foundation
, the name was changed again to Birthright, Inc.: a national, nonprofit, educational organization with the aim of promoting "all reliable and scientific means for improving the biological stock of the human race." When the Human Betterment Foundation was dissolved in 1943, its promotional activities for eugenic sterilization were continued through Birthright, which received most of the Foundation's records regarding its work on sterilization programs and also the (financial) support of such past Foundation-backers as C.M. Goethe
, Paul Popenoe
, and Lois Gosney Castle, who had succeeded her father in 1942 as head of the Foundation.
The Manhattan
studio at the New York Academy of Medicine
of Robert Latou Dickinson
, who had been a member since 1943 and became the first chairman of the AVS Medical and Scientific Committee in 1949, served as new headquarters in 1950. That same year, Birthright was renamed the Human Betterment Association of America (HBAA).
After the Second World War, when the full scale of the Nazi eugenics program
became apparent, organizations and persons promoting eugenic sterilization were under pressure to change their advocacy. This was also true for HBAA. Internally, the organization was nearly torn apart by debates, pitting eugenics-minded members against those who believed sterilization should be voluntary and available to anyone who wanted it, for personal or socioeconomic reasons. The latter philosophy prevailed, and in the 1950s the organization's mission changed to focus on rights, choice, and voluntarism. It discarded its eugenics rationale and condemned compulsion (legislative or otherwise) for sterilization.
In 1962, the organization's name was changed to the Human Betterment Association for Voluntary Sterilization (HBAVS). Although the organization attracted a number of prominent scientists and activists, its influence soared in 1964 when Hugh Moore, the wealthy inventor of the Dixie Cup and noted supporter of population control, threw his influence and money behind the group. Apart from financial support, Moore served as president from 1964 to 1969. Under his presidency, in 1965, the HBAVS was renamed the Association for Voluntary Sterilization (AVS). In 1969, AVS funded the first vasectomy clinic in the United States.
In the early 1970s, AVS supported the work of surgeons who were developing a new approach to tubal ligation
(female surgical sterilization) called minilaparotomy, or "minilap." Prior to minilap, surgery for female sterilization often required women to remain in the hospital for up to a week. Minilap, however, could be performed under local anesthesia as an outpatient procedure
, in basic health facilities without specialized equipment.
At the same time, AVS and its allies in the family planning movement launched an intensive campaign to promote sterilization. Concurrently, AVS launched—together with the ACLU
and Zero Population Growth
—"Operation Lawsuit": a series of successful lawsuits against various U.S. hospitals for refusing to comply with patients' requests for sterilization. These campaigns resulted in the increasingly widespread acceptance in the medical profession that sterilization was an effective birth control method, and that sterilization decision making was purely a matter between patients and their physicians. AVS also worked to establish the first informed consent and client-counseling components in health services and produced one of the first manuals on family planning counseling.
In the same period, AVS focused increasingly on the international scene. In the changing atmosphere of the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the importance of population control and family planning in the Third World
for U.S. foreign policy was being stressed, AVS became in 1972 for the first time the recipient of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In its subsequent international activities, AVS became instrumental in the widespread acceptance and utilization of surgical sterilization. It is in large part due to its pioneering work that this is the most prevalent method of contraception worldwide.
In the 1980s, AVS helped pioneer a new method of vasectomy
called "no-scalpel vasectomy" (NSV), which had fewer complications and healed faster than traditional vasectomies, making it more attractive for men seeking sterilization. In 1985, AVS introduced the technique in the United States.
AVS was renamed the Association for Voluntary Surgical Contraception (AVSC) in 1984. The next year, the nonprofit published a landmark reference book, Voluntary Sterilization: An International Fact Book, a comprehensive source of information about contraceptive sterilization around the world. It included reviews of service delivery, usage trends, laws and policies, research gaps, and more. This was updated in 2002 as Contraceptive Sterilization: Global Issues and Trends.
AVSC launched an international postabortion care (PAC) program in 1993 to reduce injury and death among women who undergo unsafe abortions. Since then, the program has been introduced in more than 30 countries. (The organization has never provided abortions.)
The organization changed its name to AVSC International in 1994. In 1995, AVSC published COPE: A Process and Tools for Quality Improvement in Family Planning and Other Reproductive Health Services, the first of its COPE methodology books. Developed through work in Kenya
and Nigeria
in the late 1980s, the name means "Client-Oriented, Provider-Efficient", and is a process "[to help] health care staff continuously improve the quality and efficiency of services provided at their facility and make services more responsive to clients' needs." Since then, the COPE methodology has been expanded to many other health services and adapted by many other organizations.
In 1996, AVSC also launched its unique Men As Partners (MAP) program, working with men to promote gender equality, reduce gender-based violence
, and recognize their important roles in the health of their families and communities. Since then, MAP has worked in more than 15 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Also in that year, AVSC introduced "facilitative supervision," an approach to quality improvement in health care service delivery. This methodology promotes "mentoring, joint problem solving, and two-way communication", and was formally described in the 2001 Facilitative Supervision Handbook.
With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
, AVSC partnered with four other international agencies in 1999 to launch the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention (ACCP). Other partners include the International Agency for Research on Cancer
(IARC), Jhpiego
(an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins University), the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO), and the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health
(PATH).
To reflect the fact that its mission had expanded beyond sterilization, in 2001 the organization changed its name to EngenderHealth, adding the tagline
"Improving Women's Health Worldwide," and introduced a new logo
. Also that year, with additional support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, EngenderHealth published interactive courses on infection prevention within medical service settings. Designed to train medical workers and students, particularly in low-resource situations, the free online course (also available in Spanish) is currently the Internet's most popular resource for infection prevention techniques.
In 2002, EngenderHealth was awarded the United Nations Population Award for institutions for its contribution to family planning and reproductive health care in resource-poor countries. In recognition of this honor, Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
declared July 1, 2002, as "EngenderHealth Day" in New York City
, and presented a certificate to the organization.
With funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), EngenderHealth became the managing partner of the large-scale ACQUIRE Project (which stands for "Access, Quality, and Use in Reproductive Health") in 2003. This global project works in more than 20 countries around the world to improve family planning, maternal health, and postabortion care services. Other partners in the project include the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA), CARE
, IntraHealth International, Inc., Meridian Group International, Inc., the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA), and SATELLIFE.
In the same year, also with funding from USAID, EngenderHealth became the managing partner of the AWARE-RH Project ("Action for West Africa Region -- Reproductive Health"), which works with governments, donors, and private institutions to improve access to health services, lower the costs of health care, and strengthen existing medical institutions in 21 West African countries. Other partners in the project include Abt Associates, the Academy for Educational Development
(AED), and Management Sciences for Health (MSH).
In August 2005, another international family planning organization, DKT International
, filed a lawsuit
against USAID over a federal requirement that organizations receiving funding for HIV and AIDS work must adopt policies "explicitly opposing prostitution
and sex trafficking
." This policy was introduced in the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, and was commonly referred to as the "anti-prostitution loyalty oath" (or "pledge"). In its suit, DKT asserted that this requirement was unconstitutional, and a violation of its First Amendment
rights. EngenderHealth participated by providing a detailed court statement in support of DKT. In 2006, U.S. District Court sided with DKT, ruling the requirement unconstitutional; however, this was overturned in March 2007 by a U.S. Court of Appeals. DKT continues to fight the decision.
Also in 2005, EngenderHealth was the subject of an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of USAID, for improper management of government funds. The nonprofit denied wrongdoing. However, it entered into a settlement with the OIG: first, to repay the U.S. government for the amount in question, and second, to join an Organizational Integrity Agreement with the OIG and work with an independent monitor to oversee compliance. By 2007, the OIG had concluded that EngenderHealth was in full compliance and withdrew the oversight.
EngenderHealth's Men As Partners program continued to expand during this time. For example, at the XVI International AIDS Conference in 2006, EngenderHealth was one of five finalists nominated for the Red Ribbon Award: Celebrating Community Leadership and Action on AIDS for its MAP work in South Africa
to engage men in HIV and AIDS prevention and reducing gender-based violence
. Also that year, EngenderHealth and Instituto Promundo founded MenEngage, an international alliance to promote "research, advocacy, and interventions that encourage men and boys to increase gender equality."
In 2008, EngenderHealth recognized its 65th anniversary. The organization also launched a new logo
, visual identity
, and tagline
: "for a better life."
In the same year, both USAID and EngenderHealth announced that the nonprofit had become the managing partner of The Fistula Care Project
, then the largest international project ever to focus on the treatment and prevention of obstetric fistula
.
At the end of 2008, EngenderHealth announced the launch of two new international projects. One project announcement was for the Maternal Health Task Force
(MHTF), with an initial three-year commitment of funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
. According to its web site, the MHTF "brings together existing maternal health networks and engages new organizations to facilitate global coordination of maternal health programs... by convening stakeholders and creating an inclusive setting to engage in dialogue, build consensus, and share information." The other project announcement was for Responding to the Need for Family Planning through Expanded Contraceptive Choices and Program Services, otherwise known as "the RESPOND Project" or "RESPOND." With five years of funding from USAID, the RESPOND Project follows the work of the ACQUIRE Project (previously managed by EngenderHealth) to "expand family planning services and improve reproductive health in developing countries".
In 2009, EngenderHealth announced the CHAMPION Project, a five-year project in Tanzania
funded by USAID. The project works with men to improve "serious reproductive health challenges" in Tanzania, including HIV and AIDS. The organization also announced another USAID-funded project to expand HIV prevention services for the most at-risk population in urban areas of Ethiopia
.
During his visit to Ghana
in July 2009, President Barack Obama
visited La General Hospital in Accra
. While there, he met EngenderHealth staff at a family planning
information booth operated by Quality Health Partners, a USAID-funded project working in Ghana to increase the quality of reproductive and child health services.
EngenderHealth is mentioned in Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
, a book written by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn
, published in September 2009. In support of the book, EngenderHealth published an online Half the Sky Reader's Companion with additional stories and resources following the themes of the book.
In July of 2010, EngenderHealth announced that Pamela W. Barnes would become its new president. Formerly the President/CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
, she assumed her new role on September 1, 2010.
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
based in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, internationally active in contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
, HIV and AIDS, gender equity, obstetric fistula
Obstetric fistula
Obstetric fistula is a severe medical condition in which a fistula develops between either the rectum and vagina or between the bladder and vagina after severe or failed childbirth, when adequate medical care is not available.-Symptoms and signs:The resulting disorders typically include...
, sterilization, and other sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues in dozens of developing countries around the world.
Mission statement
From its website: "EngenderHealth works to improve the health and well-being of people in the poorest communities of the world. We do this by sharing our expertise in sexual and reproductive health and transforming the quality of health care. We promote gender equity, advocate for sound practices and policies, and inspire people to assert their rights to better, healthier lives. Working in partnership with local organizations, we adapt our work in response to local needs."History
In the course of its existence, EngenderHealth has undergone changes in name and mission, reflecting internal debate, shifting policies, and adaptation to evolutions in public opinion and international awareness.It was founded by Marion Stephenson Olden (née Norton), a eugenics-minded social worker, in 1937 as the Sterilization League of New Jersey (SLNJ) with the purpose "to aid in the preparation, promotion, enactment and enforcement of legislative measures designed to provide for the improvement of the human stock by the selective sterilization of the mentally defective and of those afflicted with inherited or inheritable physical disease."
Encouraged by the eugenic sterilization legislation enacted by Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
in 1937, the SLNJ lobbied intensely, although unsuccessfully, between 1939 and 1942 for the passage of a state sterilization law in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and conducted an educational program of publications and exhibits designed to promote sterilization.
In 1943, the League was renamed Sterilization League For Human Betterment and decided to expand its activities nationwide. After objections from relatives of Ezra Gosney, founder of the Human Betterment Foundation
Human Betterment Foundation
The Human Betterment Foundation was an American eugenics organization established in Pasadena, California in 1928 by E.S. Gosney with the aim "to foster and aid constructive and educational forces for the protection and betterment of the human family in body, mind, character, and citizenship"...
, the name was changed again to Birthright, Inc.: a national, nonprofit, educational organization with the aim of promoting "all reliable and scientific means for improving the biological stock of the human race." When the Human Betterment Foundation was dissolved in 1943, its promotional activities for eugenic sterilization were continued through Birthright, which received most of the Foundation's records regarding its work on sterilization programs and also the (financial) support of such past Foundation-backers as C.M. Goethe
Charles Goethe
Charles M. Goethe was an American eugenicist, entrepreneur, land developer, philanthropist, conservationist, founder of the Eugenics Society of Northern California, and a native and lifelong resident of Sacramento, California....
, Paul Popenoe
Paul Popenoe
Paul Popenoe was an American founding practitioner of marriage counseling. In his early years, he worked as an agricultural explorer and as a scholar of heredity, where he played a prominent role in the Eugenics movement of the early twentieth century.- Biography :Born as Paul Bowman Popenoe in...
, and Lois Gosney Castle, who had succeeded her father in 1942 as head of the Foundation.
The Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
studio at the New York Academy of Medicine
New York Academy of Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine was founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York City metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health reform...
of Robert Latou Dickinson
Robert Latou Dickinson
Robert Latou Dickinson was an American obstetrician and gynecologist, surgeon, maternal health educator, artist, sculptor and medical illustrator, and research scientist.-Life:...
, who had been a member since 1943 and became the first chairman of the AVS Medical and Scientific Committee in 1949, served as new headquarters in 1950. That same year, Birthright was renamed the Human Betterment Association of America (HBAA).
After the Second World War, when the full scale of the Nazi eugenics program
Nazi eugenics
Nazi eugenics were Nazi Germany's racially-based social policies that placed the improvement of the Aryan race through eugenics at the center of their concerns...
became apparent, organizations and persons promoting eugenic sterilization were under pressure to change their advocacy. This was also true for HBAA. Internally, the organization was nearly torn apart by debates, pitting eugenics-minded members against those who believed sterilization should be voluntary and available to anyone who wanted it, for personal or socioeconomic reasons. The latter philosophy prevailed, and in the 1950s the organization's mission changed to focus on rights, choice, and voluntarism. It discarded its eugenics rationale and condemned compulsion (legislative or otherwise) for sterilization.
In 1962, the organization's name was changed to the Human Betterment Association for Voluntary Sterilization (HBAVS). Although the organization attracted a number of prominent scientists and activists, its influence soared in 1964 when Hugh Moore, the wealthy inventor of the Dixie Cup and noted supporter of population control, threw his influence and money behind the group. Apart from financial support, Moore served as president from 1964 to 1969. Under his presidency, in 1965, the HBAVS was renamed the Association for Voluntary Sterilization (AVS). In 1969, AVS funded the first vasectomy clinic in the United States.
In the early 1970s, AVS supported the work of surgeons who were developing a new approach to tubal ligation
Tubal ligation
Tubal ligation or tubectomy is a surgical procedure for sterilization in which a woman's fallopian tubes are clamped and blocked, or severed and sealed, either method of which prevents eggs from reaching the uterus for fertilization...
(female surgical sterilization) called minilaparotomy, or "minilap." Prior to minilap, surgery for female sterilization often required women to remain in the hospital for up to a week. Minilap, however, could be performed under local anesthesia as an outpatient procedure
Outpatient surgery
Outpatient surgery, also known as ambulatory surgery, same-day surgery or day surgery, is surgery that does not require an overnight hospital stay. The term “outpatient” arises from the fact that surgery patients may go home and do not need an overnight hospital bed...
, in basic health facilities without specialized equipment.
At the same time, AVS and its allies in the family planning movement launched an intensive campaign to promote sterilization. Concurrently, AVS launched—together with the ACLU
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
and Zero Population Growth
Zero population growth
Zero population growth, sometimes abbreviated ZPG , is a condition of demographic balance where the number of people in a specified population neither grows nor declines, considered as a social aim....
—"Operation Lawsuit": a series of successful lawsuits against various U.S. hospitals for refusing to comply with patients' requests for sterilization. These campaigns resulted in the increasingly widespread acceptance in the medical profession that sterilization was an effective birth control method, and that sterilization decision making was purely a matter between patients and their physicians. AVS also worked to establish the first informed consent and client-counseling components in health services and produced one of the first manuals on family planning counseling.
In the same period, AVS focused increasingly on the international scene. In the changing atmosphere of the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the importance of population control and family planning in the Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
for U.S. foreign policy was being stressed, AVS became in 1972 for the first time the recipient of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In its subsequent international activities, AVS became instrumental in the widespread acceptance and utilization of surgical sterilization. It is in large part due to its pioneering work that this is the most prevalent method of contraception worldwide.
In the 1980s, AVS helped pioneer a new method of vasectomy
Vasectomy
Vasectomy is a surgical procedure for male sterilization and/or permanent birth control. During the procedure, the vasa deferentia of a man are severed, and then tied/sealed in a manner such to prevent sperm from entering into the seminal stream...
called "no-scalpel vasectomy" (NSV), which had fewer complications and healed faster than traditional vasectomies, making it more attractive for men seeking sterilization. In 1985, AVS introduced the technique in the United States.
AVS was renamed the Association for Voluntary Surgical Contraception (AVSC) in 1984. The next year, the nonprofit published a landmark reference book, Voluntary Sterilization: An International Fact Book, a comprehensive source of information about contraceptive sterilization around the world. It included reviews of service delivery, usage trends, laws and policies, research gaps, and more. This was updated in 2002 as Contraceptive Sterilization: Global Issues and Trends.
AVSC launched an international postabortion care (PAC) program in 1993 to reduce injury and death among women who undergo unsafe abortions. Since then, the program has been introduced in more than 30 countries. (The organization has never provided abortions.)
The organization changed its name to AVSC International in 1994. In 1995, AVSC published COPE: A Process and Tools for Quality Improvement in Family Planning and Other Reproductive Health Services, the first of its COPE methodology books. Developed through work in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
in the late 1980s, the name means "Client-Oriented, Provider-Efficient", and is a process "[to help] health care staff continuously improve the quality and efficiency of services provided at their facility and make services more responsive to clients' needs." Since then, the COPE methodology has been expanded to many other health services and adapted by many other organizations.
In 1996, AVSC also launched its unique Men As Partners (MAP) program, working with men to promote gender equality, reduce gender-based violence
Violence against women
Violence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women...
, and recognize their important roles in the health of their families and communities. Since then, MAP has worked in more than 15 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Also in that year, AVSC introduced "facilitative supervision," an approach to quality improvement in health care service delivery. This methodology promotes "mentoring, joint problem solving, and two-way communication", and was formally described in the 2001 Facilitative Supervision Handbook.
With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
, AVSC partnered with four other international agencies in 1999 to launch the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention (ACCP). Other partners include the International Agency for Research on Cancer
International Agency for Research on Cancer
The International Agency for Research on Cancer is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organisation of the United Nations....
(IARC), Jhpiego
Jhpiego
Jhpiego is an "international non-profit health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University." The group was founded in 1973 and initially called the Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics, but is now referred to simply as Jhpiego .Mission...
(an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins University), the Pan American Health Organization
Pan American Health Organization
The Pan American Health Organization is an international public health agency with over 100 years of experience working to improve health and living standards of the people of the Americas...
(PAHO), and the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health
Program for Appropriate Technology in Health
The Program for Appropriate Technology in Health is an international, nonprofit global health organization based in Seattle, Washington , with 900+ employees in more than 30 offices around the world. Its president and CEO is Dr...
(PATH).
To reflect the fact that its mission had expanded beyond sterilization, in 2001 the organization changed its name to EngenderHealth, adding the tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
"Improving Women's Health Worldwide," and introduced a new logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
. Also that year, with additional support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, EngenderHealth published interactive courses on infection prevention within medical service settings. Designed to train medical workers and students, particularly in low-resource situations, the free online course (also available in Spanish) is currently the Internet's most popular resource for infection prevention techniques.
In 2002, EngenderHealth was awarded the United Nations Population Award for institutions for its contribution to family planning and reproductive health care in resource-poor countries. In recognition of this honor, Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
declared July 1, 2002, as "EngenderHealth Day" in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and presented a certificate to the organization.
With funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), EngenderHealth became the managing partner of the large-scale ACQUIRE Project (which stands for "Access, Quality, and Use in Reproductive Health") in 2003. This global project works in more than 20 countries around the world to improve family planning, maternal health, and postabortion care services. Other partners in the project include the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA), CARE
CARE (relief)
CARE is a broad-spectrum secular relief, humanitarian, and development non-governmental organization fighting global poverty. It is non-political, non-sectarian and operates annually in more than 70 countries across the globe.One of the organization’s primary focuses in its fight to eradicate...
, IntraHealth International, Inc., Meridian Group International, Inc., the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA), and SATELLIFE.
In the same year, also with funding from USAID, EngenderHealth became the managing partner of the AWARE-RH Project ("Action for West Africa Region -- Reproductive Health"), which works with governments, donors, and private institutions to improve access to health services, lower the costs of health care, and strengthen existing medical institutions in 21 West African countries. Other partners in the project include Abt Associates, the Academy for Educational Development
Academy for Educational Development
AED, formerly the Academy for Educational Development, is a 501 nonprofit organization that focuses on education, health and economic development for the "least advantaged in the United States and developing countries throughout the world." AED currently operates more than 250 programs in the...
(AED), and Management Sciences for Health (MSH).
In August 2005, another international family planning organization, DKT International
DKT International
DKT International is a charitable non-profit organization that promotes family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention through social marketing. The Washington, D.C.-based DKT was founded in 1989 by Phil Harvey and operates in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Much of its revenue comes from its sales of...
, filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against USAID over a federal requirement that organizations receiving funding for HIV and AIDS work must adopt policies "explicitly opposing prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
and sex trafficking
Sex worker
A sex worker is a person who works in the sex industry. The term is usually used in reference to those in the sex industry that actually provide such sexual services, as opposed to management and staff of such industries...
." This policy was introduced in the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, and was commonly referred to as the "anti-prostitution loyalty oath" (or "pledge"). In its suit, DKT asserted that this requirement was unconstitutional, and a violation of its First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
rights. EngenderHealth participated by providing a detailed court statement in support of DKT. In 2006, U.S. District Court sided with DKT, ruling the requirement unconstitutional; however, this was overturned in March 2007 by a U.S. Court of Appeals. DKT continues to fight the decision.
Also in 2005, EngenderHealth was the subject of an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of USAID, for improper management of government funds. The nonprofit denied wrongdoing. However, it entered into a settlement with the OIG: first, to repay the U.S. government for the amount in question, and second, to join an Organizational Integrity Agreement with the OIG and work with an independent monitor to oversee compliance. By 2007, the OIG had concluded that EngenderHealth was in full compliance and withdrew the oversight.
EngenderHealth's Men As Partners program continued to expand during this time. For example, at the XVI International AIDS Conference in 2006, EngenderHealth was one of five finalists nominated for the Red Ribbon Award: Celebrating Community Leadership and Action on AIDS for its MAP work in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to engage men in HIV and AIDS prevention and reducing gender-based violence
Violence against women
Violence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women...
. Also that year, EngenderHealth and Instituto Promundo founded MenEngage, an international alliance to promote "research, advocacy, and interventions that encourage men and boys to increase gender equality."
In 2008, EngenderHealth recognized its 65th anniversary. The organization also launched a new logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
, visual identity
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
, and tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
: "for a better life."
In the same year, both USAID and EngenderHealth announced that the nonprofit had become the managing partner of The Fistula Care Project
The Fistula Care Project
The Fistula Care Project is a five-year, $70 million global project working on obstetric fistula in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development and managed by EngenderHealth.- Vision :...
, then the largest international project ever to focus on the treatment and prevention of obstetric fistula
Obstetric fistula
Obstetric fistula is a severe medical condition in which a fistula develops between either the rectum and vagina or between the bladder and vagina after severe or failed childbirth, when adequate medical care is not available.-Symptoms and signs:The resulting disorders typically include...
.
At the end of 2008, EngenderHealth announced the launch of two new international projects. One project announcement was for the Maternal Health Task Force
Maternal Health Task Force
Launched in 2008 with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Maternal Health Task Force is a global project focused on improving maternal health through better coordination, communication, and facilitation between existing maternal health organizations, as well as with experts in...
(MHTF), with an initial three-year commitment of funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
. According to its web site, the MHTF "brings together existing maternal health networks and engages new organizations to facilitate global coordination of maternal health programs... by convening stakeholders and creating an inclusive setting to engage in dialogue, build consensus, and share information." The other project announcement was for Responding to the Need for Family Planning through Expanded Contraceptive Choices and Program Services, otherwise known as "the RESPOND Project" or "RESPOND." With five years of funding from USAID, the RESPOND Project follows the work of the ACQUIRE Project (previously managed by EngenderHealth) to "expand family planning services and improve reproductive health in developing countries".
In 2009, EngenderHealth announced the CHAMPION Project, a five-year project in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
funded by USAID. The project works with men to improve "serious reproductive health challenges" in Tanzania, including HIV and AIDS. The organization also announced another USAID-funded project to expand HIV prevention services for the most at-risk population in urban areas of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
During his visit to Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
in July 2009, President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
visited La General Hospital in Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
. While there, he met EngenderHealth staff at a family planning
Family planning
Family planning is the planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and...
information booth operated by Quality Health Partners, a USAID-funded project working in Ghana to increase the quality of reproductive and child health services.
EngenderHealth is mentioned in Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide is a book by the husband-wife team of Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn published by Knopf in September 2009...
, a book written by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn
Sheryl WuDunn
Sheryl WuDunn is a Chinese American business executive, author, lecturer, and the first Asian American to win a Pulitzer Prize.A senior banker focusing on growth companies in technology, new media and the emerging markets, WuDunn also works with double bottom line firms, alternative energy issues,...
, published in September 2009. In support of the book, EngenderHealth published an online Half the Sky Reader's Companion with additional stories and resources following the themes of the book.
In July of 2010, EngenderHealth announced that Pamela W. Barnes would become its new president. Formerly the President/CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing pediatric HIV infection and eliminating pediatric AIDS through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs...
, she assumed her new role on September 1, 2010.
Current program areas
- Family planningFamily planningFamily planning is the planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and...
- Maternal healthMaternal healthMaternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. It encompasses the health care dimensions of family planning, preconception, prenatal, and postnatal care in order to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.Preconception care can include...
- Informed choice and consent
- Long-acting and permanent methods (LAPM) of contraceptionContraceptionContraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
- Obstetric fistulaObstetric fistulaObstetric fistula is a severe medical condition in which a fistula develops between either the rectum and vagina or between the bladder and vagina after severe or failed childbirth, when adequate medical care is not available.-Symptoms and signs:The resulting disorders typically include...
prevention and treatment - Post abortionAbortionAbortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
care - EclampsiaEclampsiaEclampsia , an acute and life-threatening complication of pregnancy, is characterized by the appearance of tonic-clonic seizures, usually in a patient who had developed pre-eclampsia...
and pre-eclampsiaPre-eclampsiaPre-eclampsia or preeclampsia is a medical condition in which hypertension arises in pregnancy in association with significant amounts of protein in the urine....
prevention and treatment - Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV
- Emergency obstetric care
- Postpartum hemorrhagePostpartum hemorrhageHemorrhage after delivery, or postpartum hemorrhage, is the loss of greater than 500 ml of blood following vaginal delivery, or 1000 ml of blood following cesarean section...
prevention and treatment - Cervical cancerCervical cancerCervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
prevention and treatment - HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment (also other sexually transmitted infections (STIs))
- Reducing stigmaSocial stigmaSocial stigma is the severe disapproval of or discontent with a person on the grounds of characteristics that distinguish them from other members of a society.Almost all stigma is based on a person differing from social or cultural norms...
and discriminationDiscriminationDiscrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
against HIV-positive individuals - Male circumcisionCircumcisionMale circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
as a way to reduce HIV transmission - Integrating HIV, AIDS, and STI counseling/treatment services with family planning services
- Improving gender equality and reducing gender-based violenceViolence against womenViolence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women...
- Improving the quality of health service delivery
- Advocating in the U.S. and elsewhere for policies supporting this work
Prominent members
- Margaret SangerMargaret SangerMargaret Higgins Sanger was an American sex educator, nurse, and birth control activist. Sanger coined the term birth control, opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, and established Planned Parenthood...
, birth control activist. - Robert Latou DickinsonRobert Latou DickinsonRobert Latou Dickinson was an American obstetrician and gynecologist, surgeon, maternal health educator, artist, sculptor and medical illustrator, and research scientist.-Life:...
, gynecologist and sex researcher. - Alan Frank Guttmacher, American physician.
- Joseph FletcherJoseph FletcherJoseph Fletcher was an American professor who founded the theory of situational ethics in the 1960s, and was a pioneer in the field of bioethics. Fletcher was a leading academic involved in the topics of abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, eugenics, and cloning. Ordained as an Episcopal priest, he...
, pioneer in the field of bioethics. - John RockJohn Rock (American scientist)John Rock was an American obstetrician and gynecologist. He is best known for the major role he played in the development of the first hormonal contraceptive, colloquially called "the pill".-Early life and career:...
, one of the inventors of the birth control pill. - Paul R. EhrlichPaul R. EhrlichPaul Ralph Ehrlich is an American biologist and educator who is the Bing Professor of Population Studies in the department of Biological Sciences at Stanford University and president of Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology. By training he is an entomologist specializing in Lepidoptera , but...
, entomologist and author on the subject of human overpopulation. - Brock ChisholmBrock ChisholmGeorge Brock Chisholm, CC, MC & Bar was a Canadian First World War veteran, medical practitioner, and the first Director-General of the World Health Organization...
, first director-general of the World Health OrganizationWorld Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
and honorary president to the AVS in the early 1960s. - Paul BlanshardPaul BlanshardPaul Beecher Blanshard was a controversial American author, assistant editor of The Nation magazine, lawyer, socialist, secular humanist, and from 1949 an outspoken critic of Catholicism....
, American journalist. - Harry Emerson FosdickHarry Emerson FosdickHarry Emerson Fosdick was an American clergyman. He was born in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Colgate University in 1900, and Union Theological Seminary in 1904. While attending Colgate University he joined the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. He was ordained a Baptist minister in 1903 at the...
, American clergyman. - Hugh Moore, American entrepreneur.
- Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, author and professor of biochemistry. - Mary Dent Crisp, co-chairwoman of the Republican National CommitteeRepublican National CommitteeThe Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
. - Millicent H. Fenwick, RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
U.S. Representative from New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and AgricultureUnited States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and AgricultureThe United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture is the head of the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome and thus is the United States ambassador to the three United Nations agencies for food and agriculture located in Rome, Italy: the Food and...
. - Garrett HardinGarrett HardinGarrett James Hardin was an American ecologist who warned of the dangers of overpopulation and whose concept of the tragedy of the commons brought attention to "the damage that innocent actions by individuals can inflict on the environment"...
, ecologist and microbiologist. - Abigail Van Buren, author of the "Dear Abby" syndicated personal advice column.
- Edward P. MorganEdward P. MorganEdward Paddock Morgan was an American journalist and writer who reported for newspapers, radio, and television media services including ABC, CBS networks, and Public Broadcasting Service Public television....
, journalist and anchor of the ABC Evening News. - Allan G. Rosenfield, MD, Dean of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. - Nafis SadikNafis SadikDr. Nafis Sadik, currently Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General with additional responsibilities as Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia, and former head of the United Nations Population Fund .-Personal life:...
, MD, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General and former head of the UNFPA. - Janice Hansen Zakin, MD, associate at NASA Ames Research CenterNASA Ames Research CenterThe Ames Research Center , is one of the United States of America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration 10 major field centers.The centre is located in Moffett Field in California's Silicon Valley, near the high-tech companies, entrepreneurial ventures, universities, and other...
. - Brenda Jackson Drake, JD, director of the Public Health Trust.
- Rosemary Ellis, editor-in-chief of Good HousekeepingGood HousekeepingGood Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...
magazine. - George F. Brown, former Vice President, International Programs, at the Population CouncilPopulation CouncilThe Population Council is an international, nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The Council conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research and helps build research capacities in developing countries. One-third of its research relates to HIV and AIDS; its other major program...
- Julio Frenk, Dean of the Harvard School of Public HealthHarvard School of Public HealthThe Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...
See also
- Americans for UNFPAAmericans for UNFPAAmericans for UNFPA identifies itself as an organization which "supports the health and dignity of women everywhere." This U.S. based NGO was formed in 1998 Americans for UNFPA identifies itself as an organization which "supports the health and dignity of women everywhere." This U.S. based NGO was...
- Family Health InternationalFamily Health InternationalFamily Health International is a public health and development organization dedicated to improving living standards of the world's most vulnerable people. Family Health International has 2,500 staff conducting research and implementing programs in fifty-five countries...
- IPPF
- Pathfinder InternationalPathfinder InternationalPathfinder International is based in Watertown, Massachusetts and is a global non-profit organization , that focuses on reproductive health, family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, women and girls empowerment, and more. Under the leadership of Daniel E...
- Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women WorldwideHalf the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women WorldwideHalf the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide is a book by the husband-wife team of Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn published by Knopf in September 2009...