COMPRI-A Project

COMPRI-A Project: The Communication for Behavior Change: Expanding Access to Private Sector Health Products and Services Project in Afghanistan (COMPRI-A Project) was a USAID-funded social marketing and behavior change communication program designed to increase access to and use of selected health products and services by women of reproductive age and by children under the age of five through the private sector.  COMPRI-A has been implemented in all of Afghanistan’s provinces but concentrates on rural and underserved areas.  The comprehensive and integrated social marketing programs utilized by the Project include targeted research on the private sector market; distribution; pharmaceutical quality improvement in management and commodities productions; innovative behavioral change communication strategies; and public-private sector activities.   The COMPRI-A Project being implemented by Futures Group International on behalf of the Afghanistan MoPH as prime contractor. The Project worked closely with the MoPH and other Ministries, such as Women’s Affairs and Hajj and Religious Affairs, to harness efficiencies inherent in the commercial sector to improve health services and care. The COMPRI-A Project communicates key health messages for positive behavior change for Afghan families and promoted and socially markets its USAID-branded health products such as condoms, oral and injectable contraceptives.  It also provided chlorinated water treatment solution and oral rehydration salts (ORS) to reduce the incidence of diarrheal episodes, especially in children under the age of five and Iron Folate tablets to prevent anemia among women of reproductive age especially pregnant and lactating ones. The original COMPRI-A project was designed as a four-year program implemented from April 1, 2006 through March 31, 2010.  At the request of the USAID Mission in Afghanistan, the Project was extended for an additional twenty five (25) months, bringing the contract performance end date to April 30, 2012. Futures Group proposal for the COMPRI-A Project included the creation of an independent Afghan social marketing entity, which it officially registered as the Afghan Social Marketing Organization (ASMO) in 2008, with a Board of Directors, and a vision and mission.  The creation of ASMO offered several important benefits: (1) transfer of international capacity to an Afghan entity, (2) sustainable social marketing capacity beyond the duration of USAID’s investment, (3) leveraging of USAID’s investment through its availability to, and use by other donors, (4) reduced costs to both USAID and other donors, (5) increased proportion of USAID and donor investments earned by Afghans and retained in Afghanistan. Since December 2010, ASMO has been implementing the COMPRI-A project’s key activities to accomplish the following three intermediate results under a cost reimbursable subcontract with Futures Group International:

·         IR 1: Increased recognition that COMPRI-A supported behaviors and products can improve Afghan health

·         IR 2: Increased access to reproductive health and child health products by Afghan households

·         IR 3: Increased use of COMPRI-A supported products by men and women of reproductive age and children under the age of five