Building on the successes and lessons learned of the global RESPOND Project, the RESPOND Tanzania Project works to address unmet need for contraception and to advance the use of family planning (FP) and reproductive health (RH) services amongst women, men, and adolescents in Tanzania. This five-year project, supported by USAID, is led by EngenderHealth in partnership with Meridian. Recognizing the need for innovative programs to bring reproductive health and family planning information and services to men and women and the important role that the private sector has to play, RESPOND Tanzania developed a strategy for engaging the private sector in increasing access to and support for RH/FP services. The goal is to develop public-private partnerships that increase resources and support for RH/FP services in priority regions, and to improve access to the services themselves.

The project is particularly focus on strengthening the provision of underused long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) and permanent methods (PMs) through awareness and behavior change activities at the workplace and in surrounding communities on Tanzania. These activities build upon each participating company’s existing health initiatives, while working in close coordination with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to increase access to key RH/FP services and strengthen integrated services for RH/FP and HIV through the:

• Provision of services through on-site outreach visits facilitated by district health authorities or referrals to nearby health centers
• Training and monitoring support to company identified peer educators to improve knowledge and information on key RH/FP issues within each company
• Where appropriate, on-the-job training for a company’s medical staff and referrals to nearby government and private-sector facilities

RESPOND Tanzania engages companies interested in investing in additional RH/FP services for their employees and provides technical assistance in RH, FP, and HIV information and training.

This five-year project, supported by USAID, is led by EngenderHealth (prime) with Meridian and the Population Council as a partners.