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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK--The U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) has awarded Family Health International (FHI) $85 million to lead a
five-year program to promote the reproductive health of youth in selected
developing countries.  The program begins immediately.

FHI will implement the program, called YouthNet, through a partnership with
CARE, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Emerging Markets, Margaret Sanger Center
International and Research Triangle Institute.

"There are 1.7 billion youth worldwide, many of whom are at risk of
infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), unplanned pregnancy and
sexually transmitted infections (STIs)," says JoAnn Lewis, MPH, FHI senior
vice president for reproductive health.  "The goals of this program are to
increase community and political support for youth reproductive health; to
improve knowledge, attitudes and skills related to healthy reproductive
practices, including strategies to help young adults delay sexual activity;
and to expand access to quality reproductive health products and services
for youth."

Strategies to achieve the program's goals include:

*       Designing interventions that recognize that youth have different
needs depending upon such factors as their age, sex, life stage and culture.

*       Providing practical tools to implement research and policy.

*       Using technology to increase access to information.

*       Monitoring and evaluating interventions to better understand how to
replicate and sustain successful efforts.

"We also believe that, for these initiatives to have an impact, youth must
be full partners in the development, implementation, management and
evaluation of strategies and programs," says Ms. Lewis.  "We view youth as
assets, not problems.  By recognizing their strengths and resiliency, we can
help them to build skills that they can apply to all areas of their lives."

To this end, youth will be involved in all aspects of the program.  YouthNet
will use global youth networks, such as the World Association of Girl Guides
Girl Scouts, as well as communications networks, such as MTV and SATELLIFE
to share information and lessons with broad audiences.

YouthNet staff will be based in FHI's Arlington, VA, office.  FHI's
corporate offices in North Carolina will provide senior management and
financial oversight for the program.  Program partners will play the
following roles: Atlanta-based CARE, with 50 years of experience
coordinating and managing programs in over 60 countries, will garner
community support for sustainable adolescent health programs.  It will work
with FHI to manage youth interventions at the country level.  Deloitte
Touche Tohmatsu, based in Washington, DC, will be responsible for increasing
private sector involvement in youth reproductive health.  Margaret Sanger
Center International in New York City, with three decades of experience
assisting youth and reproductive health programs, will institutionalize
reproductive health education in schools and through faith-based
organizations.  Research Triangle Institute in Research Triangle Park will
share its considerable experience in policy reform and gender issues.

USAID administers foreign aid, which includes efforts to deliver family
planning services, promote safe pregnancy and delivery, and integrate
reproductive health with other needs, such as the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

FHI is a research and technical assistance organization dedicated to
improving reproductive health worldwide.  It has 30 years of experience
developing, managing and implementing complex programs in family planning,
reproductive health, HIV/STIs, adolescent and maternal health, and gender
issues with funding from, and in partnership with, USAID and its overseas
missions. FHI has carried out more than 70 activities, studies and projects
focusing on youth.

The new award follows other recent awards to FHI.  In 2000, the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) selected FHI to manage
an international center supporting research involving tropical and other
infectious diseases in tropical regions.  In 1999, NIAID awarded FHI a $22
million, five-year contract to manage a network of research universities and
institutions that are evaluating HIV prevention interventions in the United
States and in developing countries.  Also, in 1999, USAID awarded FHI an $87
million, five-year agreement to continue contraceptive research and related
reproductive health projects.  Among FHI's other major programs is the
Implementing AIDS Prevention and Care (IMPACT) project based in Washington,
also financed by USAID.  In partnership with five other organizations, the
five-year, $148 million IMPACT project works in more than 30 developing
countries to prevent the spread of HIV and to provide care for those who are
infected.

David Hock
Senior Information Projects Coordinator
Family Health International
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