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SANRU I and II (1981-1991) were
bilateral projects funded by USAID and managed by ECC on behalf
of the Ministry of Health to assist 100 of Congo’s 306 health
zones. A typical health zone includes a population of 150,000
people, 200 villages, and 20 health centers. One-half of Congo’s
HZs are co-managed by FBOs/NGOs, especially the Catholic and
Protestant churches.
Between
1981 and 1984 306 health zones were geographically defined. By
1987, with SANRU I/II assistance, more than 200 of these health
zones become functional. While the political disruptions in
Congo in 1991 forced USAID to terminate its assistance, the work
of ECC continued with other partners and resources to help
health zones continue their important work.
The SANRU III project resulted from an
unsolicited proposal submitted by I.M.A. and ECC to USAID/Kinshasa
in 2000 to continue the work of SANRU. The project
uses an integrated development approach to strengthen the
capacity of sixty NGO-managed health zones for priority primary
health care (PHC) interventions to a population of almost
10,000,000.
Priority PHC interventions
include the Ministry of Health’s basic package of services
(vaccinations, growth monitoring, and pre-natal care); malaria,
HIV/AIDS, nutrition/Vit. A, water/sanitation, and endemic
diseases such as TB and Onchocerciasis.
SANRU III also strengthens
health zone support systems for planning, management, training,
supervision, information, supply lines, cost recovery, and
behavior change communications (see Ten Commandments of Health).
SANRU
assists national programs and other projects to implement their
policies, protocols and training at the health zone level. In
addition, I.M.A. has leveraged supplemental funding from its
members and other partners, e.g. Pfizer, Merck, BD, etc. To date
these partnerships have resulted in more than $15,000,000 of
in-kind assistance.
SANRU
III is managed as a partnership between I.M.A. and ECC. I.M.A is
responsible for the grants management, external procurements,
and backstopping from the U.S. In Congo, the SANRU team based of
approximately 50 persons based at ECC and regional offices is
responsible for liaison with national programs and the Ministry
of Health, development of technical guidelines and project
strategies, distribution of assistance to the health zones, and
providing support supervision.
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