Welcome to Interact Worldwide
INTERACT WORLDWIDE MERGES WITH CHILDREN’S CHARITY PLAN UK
1st October 2009
SEXUAL and reproductive health charity Interact Worldwide and international children’s charity Plan UK have agreed to merge.
For more than 30 years Interact has worked in Africa, Asia and Latin America to reduce poverty by supporting better sexual and reproductive health work.
Interact’s work in family planning and maternal health, as well as other sexual and reproductive health work, and responses to HIV and AIDS has benefited thousands of girls, young women and other vulnerable groups.
This merger will allow Interact access to a greater number of communities in some of the poorest regions, while Plan UK will add a new expertise to its growing portfolio of programmatic work.
Plan has been working with children their families and communities for over 70 years.
Plan CEO Marie Staunton says: “This merger will benefit our work with young people at risk of early pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.
“Pregnancy is a leading cause of death of girls from 15 -19. Years of experience has shown Plan that enabling girls to marry later and have smaller families is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty.
“The spread of HIV and AIDS has placed great strain on many of the communities we work with. The answer is enabling poor people to have access to the sexual and reproductive services they need.”
Aside from the work on the frontline Plan UK and Interact will also work together to lobby governments and policy makers in the UK and abroad so that more of the world's poorest people get access to the supplies and advice they need to stay healthy.
Jenny Borden, CEO of Interact Worldwide, said: “This merger will mean that we can continue to do our vital work in the field of sexual and reproductive health and HIV and AIDS work.
“We often work with people and communities right on the margins of society who cannot get the help they so desperately need from anywhere else.
“For example in Pakistan, as in other countries in which we work, Interact is working closely with the government on their HIV and AIDS policy, participating as a major partner in national consultations for marginalised groups.
“It is leading the way in development of public, private and community partnerships for work on sexual and reproductive health.”
MORE INFORMATION:
A Letter to Our Supporters by President Emeritus Ms Dilys Cossey OBE
Frequently Asked Questions: Interact Worldwide and Plan UK merger
