Welcome to Interact Worldwide
Every minute a woman dies of pregnancy related causes, the equivilent of five loaded jumbo jets each day: 500,000 or more each year and another 10 million suffer serious or long-term problems.
Almost 2 out of 3 women in sub Saharan Africa cannot obtain modern contraception.
33.4 million people live with HIV - two thirds of them in sub-Saharan Africa - and 2 million died of AIDS related illnesses in 2008. Three out of four new cases of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa are now girls as they have neither the means nor the power to protect themselves. Like other key vulnerable groups we work with - sex workers, sexual minorities, people living with HIV, and young people; women and girls cannot obtain the health services they need.
Working for Change
Last year through 21 programmes, with 30 local partners, we build local knowledge of the right to sexual and reproductive health and developed governments' capacity to meet that demand. We reached 247 communities, targeting up to 1.4 million people in India, Pakistan, Malawi, Uganda, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania and Nicaragua.
However working to increase the demand for services is not enough - we also engaged with health authorities and worked with local organisations and networks to develop effective, locally appropriate health services in nine countries.
Telling the World
Advocacy, on a national and international scale, has always been central to Interact's mission. In order to secure health services for the millions worldwide who are deprived of their right to sexual health, we link with other organisations in the Action for Global Health network. Interact has continued to urge European governments to honour the promise they made at the millennium of ensuring universal access to reproductive health supplies. Collectively with 14 organisations, we are part of Countdown 2015 Europe, another strong body seeking real action for the 137 million women worldwide who cannot obtain and use the contraception they want.
Striving for a Better Future
Interact Worldwide's vision is of a world where women, young people and marginalised groups and communities can protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, where the benefits of basic, lifesaving maternal health care are shared by all, and where all people can exercise their right to make their own decisions - free of stigma, discrimination, coercion and violence.
Stronger Together
In October 2009 Interact Worldwide became part of the Plan family of worldwide charities. It retains its own Board, vision, mission and strategy. We are now developing a new business plan with our merger partner Plan UK to make our vision a reality for many more people across the world. Over the next year we will increase the scope of our work with vulnerable people and leverage the impact our work has had for many more communities.
Interact's vision has no constraints in terms of geography and neither do our current goals.
We Have Moved!
As of Tuesday 4th May Interact Worldwide's new offices are at:
Interact Worldwide
Finsgate
5-7 Cranwood Street
EC1V 9LH
WELL DONE!
Congratulations and well done to our fantastic 2010 London Marathon Team: Teresa, Bijan, Debbie, Rob, Matthew, Alex, Alan, Steven, Rebecca M, Edna, Adam, Alastair, Fab, Jane, Jason, Joan, John, Julia, Kim, Mike, Sarah & Rebecca L.G!
INTERACT WORLDWIDE HAS MERGED 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
(main image - from Closing the Gaps programme by Corrie Wingate 2010)
