Pact wins flagship USAID health contract in Zambia

USAID has awarded its five year, US$120 million Zambia Integrated Health and HIV Activity (Integrated Health) contract to Pact. The project—one of the Biden Administration’s priority initiatives to advance the U.S. partnership with Zambia—will reduce mortality, morbidity and HIV transmission for focus populations—including children, adolescents and women—in Northwest, Copperbelt and Central provinces.

Integrated Health will build on the great strides that Zambia has already made in addressing the HIV epidemic and other priority health conditions, as well as successes and lessons learned from Pact’s ongoing projects, deep and long-standing relationships, and nuanced understanding of the Zambian health system landscape. Integrated Health will achieve its goals by focusing on equitable access to high-quality, client-centered services covering HIV, TB/HIV, maternal, newborn and child health, and family planning and reproductive health. Crucially, it will also work to integrate services so as to help communities more easily access a range of different interventions.

USAID has been a leader in promoting healthy populations for the past five decades, with their HIV/AIDS program on the forefront of the global AIDS crisis, along with PEPFAR, which has saved more than 25 million lives and dramatically improved health outcomes in more than 55 partner countries in its 20-year history. Pact, a long-time partner of USAID and PEPFAR, works with national and local partners to improve inclusive and equitable access to services that deliver what communities need.

“We have extensive experience, more than 50 years, in improving social and economic conditions and building organizational capacity to deliver high-quality services for people most in need,” says Dr. Gloria Sangiwa, Pact Vice President for Global Health. “Health was one of our first-ever focus areas. Since then, our evidence-based health programming has helped close gaps in prevention and care needs of vulnerable children, youth, pregnant and breastfeeding women, caregivers and families, and marginalized groups.”

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Integrated Health will utilize data-driven capacity development and systems strengthening in order to support sustainable outcomes. By the end of the contract, at least 20% of project-supported health care sites will be fully owned and implemented by the Zambian government.

The consortium of Pact’s partners includes the Center for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Circles of Hope, Mothers2Mothers, Coper Rose Zambia, Zambia Network of Young People Living with HIV and Viamo.

“We are thrilled to work hand in hand with this group of partners, USAID and PEPFAR, the Zambian government and community members themselves to contribute to long, healthy and productive lives for Zambians,” says Caroline Anstey, Pact President & CEO.