With a $39m grant to Pathfinder International, the US Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Wednesday launched a new initiative in Egypt known as OSRA (family in Arabic), which will provide young Egyptians with information on voluntary family planning and reproductive health options for healthy and sustainable child spacing.
Along with Pathfinder International, USAID will collaborate with the Ministry of Health and Population in implementing this vital programme.
At the ceremony in the Grand Egyptian Museum, US Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Ambassador Daniel Rubinstein said, “The U.S. Government, through USAID, has invested over $435m in reproductive health in Egypt over the last 30 years. These efforts, taken in close coordination with the Ministry of Health and Population, have lowered fertility rates and improved reproductive healthcare outcomes by providing Egyptian women with information on ways to recognize dangers to their health during pregnancy in time to seek medical care. We are proud to partner with the Ministry of Health and Population to foster and implement long-term and equitable healthcare solutions for Egyptian women and their families.”
The OSRA programme will also build on Egypt’s national family planning programme by working with the private sector to expand the adoption and use of digital technology and telemedicine platforms, which will make family planning and reproductive health services available to traditionally underserved communities. The OSRA programme’s awareness raising campaign will serve to empower women by encouraging healthy family planning discussions where women’s voices are heard.
USAID’s support for voluntary family planning and reproductive health activities is part of the $30bn that the American people have invested in Egypt’s economic development since 1978.
