PSI/N

epal

PSI, a non-profi t organization based in Washington, D.C., harnesses the vitality of the private sector to address the health problems of low-income and vulnerable populations in 65 develop-ing countries. With programmes in safe water/oral rehydration, malaria, nutrition, family plan-ning and HIV/AIDS, PSI deploys commercial marketing strategies to promote health products, services and behavior that enable low-income and vulnerable people to lead healthier lives. Products and services are sold at subsidized prices rather than given away in order to motivate commercial sector involvement.

PSI in NepalPSI/Nepal began operations in early 2002

to work in the areas of HIV/AIDS preven-

tion, child survival and family planning in

support of Government of Nepal’s National

Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS Preven-

tion Strategies. PSI/Nepal’s current portfolio

contains programs in malaria, safe water,

pediatric zinc and fortifi ed complementary

food for young children.

DonorsMajor donors include the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, U.S.

Agency for International Development (USAID), Micronutrient Initiative and United

Nations World Food Program.

PartnersLocal partners include the Government of Nepal Ministry of Health and Population,

Department of Health Services, Epidemiology and Disease Control Division and

other local agencies.

MalariaAn estimated 19.4 million people in Nepal are at risk of ma-

laria. The Government of Nepal and PSI/Nepal work in part-

nership to implement malaria prevention and control activi-

ties in 13 high-risk districts. Key activities include increased

awareness among those at risk of malaria; the importance

of early detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention

services; strengthened partnerships among key players

such as government, private sector and civil society; an

Health Impact: PSI has an uncommon focus on measurable health impact and attempts to measure its effect on disease and death much like a for-profit measures profits. PSI/Nepal reported a total of 120,305 DALYs in 2006. The DALY (Disability Adjusted Life Year) is a widely-used, credible metric that was first developed by the World Bank and is now routinely relied upon in the public health community by organizations such as the World Health Organization. The Nepal Demographic Health Survey 2005 noted improvements in health areas that are the focus of PSI/Nepal programs — increases in the use of condoms (65%), birth spacing pills (118%), intra-uterine devices (75%) and injectable contraceptives (20%) in the last three years by married women.

Health Impact

increased number

of trained private

sector providers

with the capacity to

quickly detect and

effectively treat ma-

laria and increased

access to long-

lasting insecticide

treated mosquito

nets among families

in target districts.

Child SurvivalSafe Water: Access

to safe household drinking water in Nepal

remains low, at only 44%. This problem

translates into a serious public health problem

with one third of deaths of children under the

age of fi ve years due to waterborne diseases

such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, dysentery

and gastroenteritis. To prevent these diseases,

PSI/Nepal is promoting WaterGuard — a

household chlorine water purifi cation solution

which enables parents to effectively purify and

ensure the safety of their family’s water.

Pediatric Zinc: PSI/Nepal addresses the

signifi cant impact of diarrhea on the health

of children through the public-private part-

nership introduction of

low-cost pediatric zinc

for children under fi ve.

PSI/Nepal promotes the

use of zinc, along with oral

rehydration therapy,

to decrease the inci-

dence and severity

of diarrheal disease.

Fortifi ed

Complementary

Food: Over 8/10

Nepali children

within the six to

12 month age

range suffer from

iron defi ciency

anemia and other

micronutrient

defi ciencies. To address the problem

of malnutrition, PSI/Nepal launched an

affordable, naturally fl avored child nutrition

product – Champion Fortifi ed Complementary

Food containing iron, iodine and 10 other

essential vitamins and minerals essential for

early childhood development.

PSI/NepalRudreshwor Chowk, Vishnu VDC, Budhanilkantha,GPO Box: 21976Kathmandu, NepalPhone: + 977-1-4377471Fax: + 977-1-4377473Email: steven@psi.org.np