FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2004

USAID-Funded Effort to Improve the Health of Egyptian Families Begins in Small Village of Zohra

CAIRO The small Egyptian village of Zohra is now the focus of a coordinated effort funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development to improve the health of Egyptian families at the community level.

The Health Communication Partnership (HCP) is implementing this family-focused project known as Communication for Healthy Living with local community development associations to improve a wide range of health indicators, including those of reproductive health, maternal and child health, infectious disease, and healthy lifestyles.

“Health information is a source of empowerment, enabling people to improve health practices, to access services wisely, and to lead healthier lives,” said Ron Hess, director of the Communication for Healthy Living project.

Zohra, the Arabic name for flower, has a population of approximately 16,000. It is located in the Governorate of El Minya, three hours by train south of Cairo on the Nile River. As in most upper Egyptian villages, farming is the primary occupation. Zohra’s relatively high birthrate of 60 births per month and the status of other health indicators were significant factors in its selection as a focus village.

Ultimately the project hopes to have a positive impact on multiple health behaviors such as reducing family size, improving maternal health, promoting breastfeeding, improving nutrition and hygiene, preventing blood-borne diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, and decreasing cigarette smoking.

Using a “Life Stage” approach, Communication for Healthy Living will focus on family members from birth through old age, with special attention paid to young adults and young married couples.

“Healthy living is an investment. Positive behaviors learned at an early stage affect the life-long health of not only the individual, but of his or her family and community,” said Dr. Samir El Alfy, Technical Deputy Director of the project.

Communication for Healthy Living is also working with the private sector, building partnerships among pharmaceutical companies, retailers, and pharmacists to provide appropriate health information and products to communities while simultaneously increasing demand for private sector products and services.

HCP is a global communication initiative led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs in partnership with the Academy for Educational Development, Save the Children, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, and Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. In addition to the five core partners, HCP works with leading Southern-based health communication organizations as well as global programming partners from the corporate sector, international media, academic institutions, and faith-based organizations.

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.