FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 6, 2003

New Website Launched to Highlight USAID-Funded Public
Health Programs and Other Services in Nigeria

Web Site Offers Information on Reproductive Health, Child Survival, HIV/AIDS

LAGOS, Nigeria- In an effort to provide a comprehensive look at public health programs currently underway in Nigeria, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and its partners have launched a new website to centralize information and resources about ongoing activities in the African nation.

The website is managed by the Health Communication Partnership (HCP), a team of six leading institutions led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP) that seeks to improve public health in the developing world through strategic communication. The new website documents specific programs related to reproductive health, child survival, HIV/AIDS, and family planning.

"This new resource will prove invaluable to those working to improve the health of all Nigerians," said Bola Kusemiju, Country Representative, HCP Nigeria. "Not only will it document and disseminate USAID-funded activities, products and tools, it may also lead to better programs nationwide by sharing information among partners."

The goal of the new website is to provide a forum for those working in Nigeria to learn and understand what others are doing in the country to improve health and quality of life. It will also serve to facilitate joint planning and coordination among USAID's various partners implementing programs.

Those partners include HCP, Engender Health, PSI, Family Health International, Africare, CEDPA, the Futures Group International, Pathfinder and BASICS II.

In addition, the website will provide a calendar of upcoming events, news from the programs, and links to materials such as reports and printed brochures.

Supported by USAID, the Health Communication Partnership is a global communication initiative designed to promote evidence-based and innovative approaches, build capacity, and bring programs to scale. HCP is led by CCP in partnership with the Academy for Educational Development, Save the Children, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and the University of North Carolina's Carolina Population Center at Chapel Hill.

For further information contact: Kim Martin at Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, USA. Tel: 410 659-6140; Fax: 410 659-6266 e-mail: press@jhuccp.org.