Population Services International

Population Services International

File:Logo Population Services International.png
Formation	January 1, 1970 (1970-01-01)
Type	NGO
Headquarters	Washington DC, United States
President	Karl Hofmann
Website	Official website

Population Services International is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit global health organization with programs targeting malaria, child survival, HIV and reproductive health. Working in partnership within the public and private sectors, and harnessing the power of the markets, PSI provides life-saving products, clinical services and behavior change communications that empower the world's most vulnerable populations to lead healthier lives.

Programs

PSI has programs in over 60 countries. Its world headquarters are in Washington, D.C. and its European offices are in Amsterdam. The organization employs more than 250 U.S. staff, more than 150 overseas expatriate staff and 8,000 local PSI affiliate staff. Major donors include the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands; the Global Fund, United Nations agencies, private foundations, corporations and individuals. It is a member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a Washington D.C.-based coalition of over 400 major companies and NGOs that advocates for a larger International Affairs Budget, which funds American diplomatic and development efforts abroad.

SALIN project in Mali

With support from the Dutch government under the Strategic Alliance with International NGOs (SALIN), Population Services International undertook a 30-month project, from July 2008, aimed at meeting post-partum family planning needs, increasing contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR), and decreasing maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Mali. This was in line with Millennium Development Goal 5. Family planning can help time and space pregnancies or prevent unplanned pregnancies, reducing maternal mortality.

Mali women of reproductive age have little knowledge on family planning methods and are largely unaware of the health benefits of family planning. Mali's contraceptive prevalence rate of 6% was among the lowest worldwide and had stagnated since 2001, with the exception of the capital, Bamako, where the CPR decreased from 19% to 16% from 2001 to 2006. At least one in 25 women in Mali die from pregnancy-related causes or resulting lifelong complications. There is also limited access to long-acting family planning methods.

Clinic event days were designed to promote family planning. While women waited to have their child immunised on immunisation days, the midwife and the clinic personnel give a 30-45 minute presentation on the importance of family planning as well as the contraceptive options available. Women were encouraged to raise concerns and the discussions helped to dispel common misconceptions. PSI also provided a subsidy for the women who chose to receive a long-acting contraception method, increasing access to and affordability of family planning.

As of 31 October 2010, a total of 1,666 health talk sessions were held and 69,055 women were reached: 1,396 intrauterine devices (IUD) and 14,547 contraceptive implants were inserted. The IUD provides protection from unintended pregnancies for up to 12 years and the implant for up to 5 years.

Board of directors

Street theater, as seen during a GiveWell visit to PSI in the Dharavi slum of Mumbai, India, August–November 2010. PSI increases awareness about safe sex and a program focused on clean water.

The board of directors includes

• Frank Loy: Chair, Former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, U.S. Department of State - Washington, DC
• Rehana Ahmed: Physician - Nairobi, Kenya
• Frank Carlucci: Chairman Emeritus The Carlyle Group - Washington, DC
• Sarah G. Epstein: Population Consultant - Washington, DC
• Shima Gyoh: Professor of Surgery at Benue State University, Mkar, Benue State, Nigeria and former Chairman, Nigerian Medical and Dental Council
• Gail McGreevy Harmon: Partner, Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP - Washington, DC
• William C. Harrop: Former U.S. Ambassador to Guinea, Israel, Kenya and Zaire and Inspector General of the U.S. Department of State and the Foreign Service - Washington, DC
• Judith Richards Hope: Professor/Attorney - Washington, DC
• Adriaan Jacobovits de Szeged: Former Netherlands Ambassador to the United States - The Hague, The Netherlands
• Ashley Judd: Actor/Activist - Franklin, Tennessee
• Gilbert Omenn: Professor of Internal Medicine, Human Genetics and Public Health, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Malcolm Potts: Bixby Professor, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley, California
• Mechai Viravaidya: Chairman, Population and Community Development Association - Bangkok, Thailand

External reviews

GiveWell review

Charity evaluator GiveWell first reviewed PSI in 2007, then again in 2009 and then again in 2011. Initially, GiveWell recommended PSI as one of its top charities. However, in its most recent review, GiveWell states that "The evidence we have seen does not clearly show that PSI has the impact it intends" while at the same time praising PSI for "(a) focusing on programs with proven impact and (b) monitoring whether these programs are implemented effectively."

Fast Company review

In 2007 and 2008 PSI was highlighted by Fast Company as a Top Social Capitalist, noting the organization's private sector partnerships with Procter & Gamble and others.