Thread by @DavidCranmerUn1

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health - Wikipedia

Launched in 2008 with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Maternal Health Task Force (MHTF) is a global project focused on improving maternal health through better coordination, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_T…

communication, and facilitation between existing maternal health organizations, as well as with experts in related fields. The MHTF is managed by EngenderHealth, an international nonprofit organization.

In the course of its existence, EngenderHealth has undergone changes in name

and mission, reflecting internal debate, shifts in public policy, and changes in public opinion and international awareness.

The organization was founded in 1937 as the Sterilization League of New Jersey (SLNJ) then renamed to Sterilization League For Human Betterment in 1943.

Its name changed again to Birthright, Inc.: an educational nonprofit organization promoting "all reliable and scientific means for improving the biological stock of the human race."

In 1950, Birthright was renamed the Human Betterment Association of America (HBAA).

In 1962, the organization's name was changed to the Human Betterment Association for Voluntary Sterilization (HBAVS). Although the organization attracted a number of prominent scientists and activists, its influence soared in 1964 when Hugh Moore, the wealthy inventor of the

Dixie Cup and noted supporter of population control, threw his influence and money behind the group.

In the changing atmosphere of the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the importance of population control and family planning in the Third World for U.S. foreign policy was being

stressed, AVS became in 1972 for the first time the recipient of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, AVSC partnered with four other international agencies in 1999 to launch the Alliance for

Cervical Cancer Prevention (ACCP). Other partners include the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Jhpiego (an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins University), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH).

To reflect the fact that its mission had expanded beyond sterilization, in 2001 the organization changed its name to EngenderHealth, added the tagline "Improving Women's Health Worldwide".

In 2002, EngenderHealth was awarded the United Nations Population Award for institutions

for its contribution to family planning and reproductive health care in resource-poor countries. In recognition of this honor, Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared July 1, 2002, as "EngenderHealth Day" in New York City, and presented a certificate to the organization.

With funding

from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), EngenderHealth became the managing partner of the large-scale ACQUIRE Project (which stood for "Access, Quality, and Use in Reproductive Health") in 2003.

EngenderHealth's Men As Partners program continued to expand.

EngenderHealth and Instituto Promundo founded the MenEngage Global Alliance, an international alliance to promote "research, advocacy, and interventions that encourage men and boys to increase gender equality." Today, MenEngage works around the world to raise awareness and

support initiatives that reduce gender-based violence, with additional partnership from the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Save the Children, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW),

the White Ribbon Campaign, Sonke Gender Justice, and several other organizations.

In 2006, in partnership with the Population Council, Ipas, Marie Stopes International, Willows Foundation, and the Ministry of Health in Ghana to launch the R3M Program: Reducing Maternal Morbidity

and Mortality. The project supported family planning and long-term and permanent contraceptives in Ghana.

In 2009, EngenderHealth announced two new projects with USAID funding. The first was the CHAMPION Project, a five-year project in Tanzania, working with men to

improve "serious reproductive health challenges" in Tanzania, including HIV and AIDS. The CHAMPION Project also received funding from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). A second USAID-funded project worked to expand HIV prevention services for the most

at-risk population in urban areas of Ethiopia.

The United States President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is a United States governmental initiative to address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and help save the lives of those suffering from the disease. Launched by U.S.

President George W. Bush in 2003, as of May 2020, PEPFAR has provided about $90 billion in cumulative funding for HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and research since its inception, making it the largest global health program focused on a single disease in history until the

COVID-19 pandemic.

PEPFAR continues to be a cornerstone of U.S. global health efforts. On April 4, 2014, Ambassador Deborah L. Birx was sworn in as United States Global AIDS Coordinator.[

George H.W. Bush, who died Saturday at age 94, apparently got the nickname "Rubbers" from his House colleagues for his vocal support for contraceptive access.
In a 1968 speech to the US House, then Rep. Bush said he supported more family planning access in the US and around the

world. 
"I see no reason why similar programs of education and family-planning assistance — all on a voluntary basis — should not be instituted in the United States on a massive scope," he said. "It is imperative that we do so: Not only to fight poverty at its roots, not only

to cut down on our welfare costs, but also to eliminate the needless suffering of unwanted children and overburdened parents."