“Top 5 Bilateral Health Agencies: USAID, DANIDA, SIDA, and International Red Cross Impact on Global Health”

Learn about the impact of leading bilateral health agencies on global health. Organizations like USAID, DANIDA, SIDA, and the International Red Cross play a powerful role.

BILATERAL ORGANIZATION

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

• USAID is a U.S. government agency responsible for administering civilian foreign aid, created in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy.
• USAID focuses on two primary goals:

1. Ending extreme poverty
2. Promoting resilient, democratic societies

Key Contributions to India:
USAID, along with two other agencies, supports Indian development projects in various sectors:

1. Malaria Eradication
2. Medical and Nursing Education
3. Health Education
4. Water Supply & Sanitation
5. Control of Communicable Diseases
6. Nutrition Programs
7. Family Planning Initiatives

Recent Focus Areas:

• High-level support is extended towards agriculture and family planning.
• General health funding has been reduced in favor of these specific areas.

Other Supporting Agencies:

1. Public Law 480 Program
2. US Export-Import Bank

Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA)

• DANIDA is Denmark’s brand for providing humanitarian aid and development assistance to developing nations.
• It operates under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, without being a separate organization.
• Denmark has been involved in development assistance since the end of World War II.

Development Assistance:

• Denmark is one of the few countries meeting the UN target of granting 0.7% of gross national income for development aid.
• In 2021, Denmark disbursed around US$2.98 billion to countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and its EU neighbors.

India-DANIDA Collaboration:

• Since 1978, India has received DANIDA’s assistance, notably for the Blindness Control Program.

Aim of DANIDA:

• Reducing poverty by promoting human rights and economic growth, focusing on some of the world’s poorest countries.

Four Main Priority Areas:

1. Human rights and democracy
2. Green growth
3. Social progress
4. Stability and protection

Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)

• SIDA is a Swedish government agency working under the Swedish parliament and government, with its headquarters in Stockholm.
• Its mission is to reduce global poverty.
• SIDA is organized into eight departments: five focus on development assistance implementation, while three handle support, steering, and control functions.

Assistance to India:

• Since 1979, SIDA has been assisting India’s National Tuberculosis Control Program.
• SIDA’s support includes providing supplies for:
• X-ray units
• Microscopes
• Anti-tuberculosis drugs
• SIDA also contributed to:
• A pilot project for Short Course Chemotherapy drug regimens (1983-84).
• The pilot phase-1 of the Revised Strategy of India’s National TB Control Program in 5 sites (since 1993).

NON GOVERNMENTAL OTHER AGENCIES

Rockefeller Foundation

• The Rockefeller Foundation is a philanthropic organization established in 1913 by John D. Rockefeller.
• Its primary aim is to promote the well-being of humanity worldwide.
• Initially, it focused on public health and medical education. Later, it expanded into areas like life sciences, social sciences, humanities, and agricultural sciences.

Work in India:

• The foundation started its work in India in 1920, initially focusing on controlling hookworm infestation.
• Since then, it has supported numerous programs in India.

Key Activities:

1. Establishment of All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health in Kolkata.
2. We are setting up field demonstration areas. We conduct this work with the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine. We also collaborate with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
3. Provision of training for teachers and research workers.
4. Sponsoring Indian candidates for international training through fellowships and travel grants.
5. Sponsoring medical students from the USA to visit India.
6. Providing grants to selected institutions.
7. Development of medical college libraries.
8. Assistance with research projects.

Current Focus:

• The foundation currently supports initiatives in agriculture, family planning, medical education, and rural training.

Ford Foundation

• The Ford Foundation is a private, non-profit, philanthropic organization established in 1936 in Michigan, USA.
• Initially focused on local philanthropy, the foundation expanded internationally in 1950, promoting international peace and welfare.
• It focuses on identifying and solving national and international issues, particularly through applied research, training, and developmental efforts.

Office in India:

• In 1952, the Ford Foundation established its first international office in New Delhi. This was at the invitation of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
• The office also serves Nepal and Sri Lanka, making it the foundation’s largest overseas operation.

Goals of the Foundation:

1. Strengthen democratic values
2. Reduce poverty and injustice
3. Promote international cooperation
4. Advance human achievement

Functions of the Ford Foundation:

• Environmental development
• Community-based natural resource management
• Utilization of local knowledge and technology for better resource management
• Micro-finance accessibility
• Promoting peace and social justice
• Strategies for poverty reduction

Ford Foundation’s Assistance in India:

1. Training centers in public health for medical and paramedical personnel (Singur, Poonamallee, Najafgarh).
2. Establishment of research-action centers for environmental sanitation (e.g., rural hand-flushed latrines).
3. Pilot projects in rural health services (coordinated health service model in Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu).
4. Establishment of the National Institute of Health Administration and Education (NIHAE) in Delhi.
5. Preparation of the master plan for water supply, sewerage, and drainage in Kolkata.
6. Enhancing research in reproductive biology and family planning through fellowship programs.

Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE)

• CARE was originally known as Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe and was founded in 1945.
• It is the world’s largest independent, nonsectarian, nongovernmental humanitarian organization.
• CARE provides emergency relief in 79 developing countries. It also supports long-term international development with a primary focus on helping the poorest people.

Mission of CARE:

• “To save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice.”
• Focus on women and girls: CARE believes overcoming poverty requires equal rights and opportunities for all. Women and girls are central to their efforts.

CARE’s Services in India:

• CARE has been active in India since 1950.
• Initially focused on food distribution to children aged 6-11 years until 1980.
• After 1980, CARE expanded to support the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and other health and income supplementation programs.
• CARE-India collaborates with the Government of India, state governments, and NGOs.

Current Projects Supported by CARE in India:

1. Integrated Nutrition and Health Project
2. Better Health and Nutrition Project
3. Anemia Control Project
4. Improving Women’s Health Project
5. Health Care for Adolescent Girls Project
6. Child Survival Project
7. Women’s Reproductive Health and Family Spacing Project

International Red Cross

• The International Red Cross Movement was founded in response to the humanitarian efforts of Jean Henry Dunant. He was a Swiss businessman. Dunant witnessed the suffering of soldiers during the Battle of Solferino in 1859.
• Dunant’s experience led him to write the book “Memory of Solferino.” In this book, he proposed the idea of a neutral organization to aid wounded soldiers in war.
• The Geneva Convention of 1864 established the International Red Cross Movement. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was formed as a neutral and independent institution.
• The Red Cross emblem is a reversal of the Swiss national flag, honoring the country where the movement was founded.

Mission:

• The Red Cross aims to alleviate human suffering. It also works to protect life and health. The organization upholds human dignity, particularly during armed conflicts and emergencies.

Services of the Red Cross:

1. Services to Armed Forces: Providing humanitarian aid to soldiers during war.
2. Service to War Veterans: Supporting veterans post-war.
3. Disaster Relief Services: Responding to natural and man-made disasters.
4. First Aid and Nursing: Offering first aid and nursing care to those in need.
5. Health Education: Promoting public health through education.
6. Maternity and Child Welfare Services: Supporting maternal and child health programs.

Global Coordination:

• In 1919, the League of Red Cross Societies was created to coordinate the activities of national Red Cross societies. It operated worldwide, functioning from Geneva.

---

COURSES

GNM

BSC NURSING