IMA World Health leads $200 million USAID award to improve maternal, newborn and child health in fragile settings

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IMA World Health will lead a five-year cooperative agreement of up to $200 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve the health and well-being of women and children in fragile and conflict affected settings globally.

MOMENTUM ? or Moving Integrated, Quality Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Services and Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care to Scale ? is a suite of USAID projects that aims to accelerate reductions in maternal, newborn, and child mortality and morbidity in high-burden countries by increasing host country commitment and capacity to provide high-quality, integrated health care.

The IMA-led MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience award will improve the access to and availability of high-quality, respectful, and person-centered maternal, newborn and child health services and voluntary family planning and reproductive health care in fragile and conflict affected settings. This project will enhance coordination between development and humanitarian actors and strengthen the resilience of individuals, families, and communities, supporting countries to progress on their Journey to Self-Reliance. As a faith-based international public health organization, IMA World Health will draw upon its 60 years of expertise in working with and through local partners in fragile settings, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, to implement this MOMENTUM project.

"IMA World Health has a long history of demonstrated impact in improving the lives of mothers and children around the world with deep expertise in working within existing health systems to strengthen maternal health and nutrition," said Daniel Speckhard, president and CEO of Corus International, parent of IMA World Health and a family of nonprofits and for-profits. "Through this MOMENTUM project, we will consolidate gains from previous development programs while introducing fresh perspectives and approaches as we strengthen resilience from community to national levels."

IMA World Health will lead the consortium. Other core members include:

• JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc. (JSI), a recognized global leader in child health, immunization and community health, and monitoring, evaluation and learning;
• Pathfinder International, with extensive experience in implementing high-impact family planning and reproductive health, adolescent health and gender-sensitive service delivery approaches;
• CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, with a special focus on working alongside poor women;
• and GOAL, a leader in humanitarian and resilience programming.

Additional members of the consortium include the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Brigham Young University, and Premise Data.

"This consortium offers USAID a wide spectrum of experience and expertise on which to strengthen health service delivery," Speckhard said. "We're confident this team can carry out USAID's objectives and reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality in places where that's especially challenging."

The U.S. Agency for International Development administers the U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide.

IMA World Health is an international NGO operating in fragile settings with communities and governments to overcome public health challenges. Founded in 1960, IMA World Health works in concert with Corus International, a family of faith-based organizations delivering holistic, lasting solutions to the interconnected challenges of poverty, health care access and climate change.

Contact: John Rivera
443-604-2918
[email protected]

SOURCE IMA World Health