Languishing capacity: Underutilization of U.S.-based NGOs in the fight for child survival

This presentation highlights the history over the past two decades of USAID funding for global health and the relative importance of child survival within USAID's health portfolio, with particular emphasis on financial support to U.S.-based NGOs for community-based child survival programming. The level of USAID's commitment to reducing the number of readily preventable deaths among mothers and children around the world has actually been declining over the past two decades. In 2007, the amount obligated for child survival and health funding is $1.433 billion, down from $1.562 billion in 2005 and $1.644 billion in 2006. Of the amount obligated for 2007, only $323 million is reserved for child survival and maternal health programs. Of this, only $14 million is distributed to U.S. NGOs through the Child Survival and Health Grants Program (CSHGP). Thus, this program receives only 4% of USAID's maternal and child health funds, and only 1% of the funds available for child survival and health programs. Furthermore, the level of financial support for CSHGP has remained at this level for the past 20 years (in terms of dollars), meaning that the actual support has declined in real terms. Given the 10 million children still dying each year, efforts are now needed to increase the level of political commitment for cost-effective community-based MCH programs in developing countries and to provide substantial increases to U.S.-based NGOs who have built up strong expertise in these community-based approaches to improving child survival in high-mortality countries. Extensive evidence has demonstrated that U.S.-based NGOs, working in partnership with local NGOs and host governments, have proven to be effective and inexpensive implementers of programs to reduce maternal and child deaths and therefore deserve greater financial support.