MSH-Peru Receives Direct Funding from USAID to Measure Impact of Social Capital Building Efforts on Health and Well-being

October 25, 2022

MSH-Peru Receives Direct Funding from USAID to Measure Impact of Social Capital Building Efforts on Health and Well-being

Arlington, VA—October 24, 2022—Peruvian nonprofit organization Management Sciences for Health-Peru, an affiliate of MSH, Inc., has received its first direct award from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to study the effects of the Moral Leadership and Community Management (MLCM) Program and the Healthy Communities (HC) methodology on topics such as health, sanitation, gender disparities, and domestic violence.

“Our technical assistance to Peru dates back to 1993 and includes more than a dozen projects that have improved the health of thousands of individuals, families, and communities while changing paradigms in health care and local development,” said MSH Vice President of the Global Health Programs Delivery Group, Dr. Aday Adetosoye. “I am so thrilled to see that our ongoing commitment to strengthening Peru’s health infrastructure in partnership with donors like USAID has become a great example of localization, where a locally-led organization qualifies as a direct recipient of funding from USAID and takes full ownership of the intervention with our assistance as needed.”

The three-year cooperative agreement will examine the impact of the MLCM Program and HC methodology in a conflict zone fraught with drug traffic known as the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro River Valley (VRAEM by its acronym in Spanish).

MLCM in Peru was adapted by MSH staff from an innovative program in Nicaragua almost 20 years ago that strengthened leadership and management capability among rural leaders in a post-conflict setting and brought them together to support common child health and development goals. A study showed that the program measurably increased social capital—the active connections that build trust, mutual understanding, and shared values and behaviors—and made sustainable cooperative action possible.

MSH-Peru will carry out the work in partnership with local governments, community neighborhood boards, health facility staff, and families, and it will culminate in a series of recommendations that will support the Peruvian government to apply the MLCM Program and HC methodology to improve community and family well-being in the VRAEM Region and other areas in the country.

“We are thrilled by the opportunity to identify the necessary and sufficient evidence that will help achieve the expansion and sustainability of the MLCM Program and the Healthy Communities methodology,” said MSH-Peru Executive Director, Dr. Edgar Medina. “MSH developed and adapted these methodologies to benefit families and communities in areas of social conflict, and I thank USAID for the support to expand this ever so important work.”


About MSH-Peru

Management Sciences for Health-Peru is an affiliate of global health NGO Management Sciences for Health Inc. Founded in 2014, MSH-Peru seeks to improve the health and development of the Peruvian people, with a special focus on at-risk and vulnerable populations. Our human talent expertise includes solid technical and operational skills, commitment, and leadership. We offer a portfolio of innovative and competitive services and products through an international network of clients and partners, both in the public and private sectors. More information here.