United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Global Health Wade Warren is currently visiting Madagascar, until May 3, to learn about USAID/Madagascar’s health programs and some of the innovative work being done throughout the country. USAID is the largest bi-lateral health partner: this year, USAID/Madagascar’s assistance budget in the sector is $48 million.

“It is an honor to have Wade Warren in Madagascar at such a crucial time,” said Mrs. Susan Sawhill Riley, USAID/Madagascar’s Mission Director. “USAID in Madagascar is using many innovative approaches to tackle some of the greatest health challenges in the country, and we are looking forward to sharing our work and accomplishments with Mr. Warren.”

Ending preventable child and maternal deaths is a priority for USAID worldwide. USAID/Madagascar is fully committed to delivering high-impact and effective maternal, newborn and child survival interventions that address in significant ways the primary causes of mortality. To increase the impact of our work, USAID/Madagascar is identifying innovative solutions to challenging issues such as newborn cord-care.

On April 30 and May 1, Mr. Warren will visit field sites in Menabe region, including Marie Stopes’s mobile family planning outreach site, Population Services International (PSI)’s franchised private sector Top Reseau clinics, and John Snow International Research and Training MAHEFA project.  He will meet with Community Health Volunteers and villagers who have received mosquito nets, as well as visit water and sanitation infrastructures and commodity supply points.

For more than 20 years USAID has been a leading supporter of child health and nutrition programs in Madagascar. In recent years, our primary focus has been on increasing access to maternal and child health services and products at the community level, supporting Community Health Volunteers (CHV) with skills training, job aids, and life-saving health commodities. More recently, USAID/Madagascar has increased its focus on maternal and neonatal health with the aim of expanding access at the community level.