programs

Enhanse project

ENHANSE – Enabling HIV & AIDS, TB and Social Sector Environment is a Nigeria-USG bilateral project that creates an enabling policy and legislative environment for high quality, highly accessible health and education programs in Nigeria. It is a five-year (2004-2009) project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). ENHANSE facilitates the development and implementation of national policies, plans, legislations, and guidelines that promote: Reproductive Health; Child Survival; Basic Education and HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment care and support.

ENHANSE also fosters partnerships between the Government of Nigeria, the commercial private sector, and civil society to broaden and strengthen political, financial and popular support for sustained health and education programs. Although ENHANSE activities have a national focus, their impacts reach down to the grassroots through the agency of other bilateral projects. Their impact in the states and communities will be felt through ENHANSE’s complementary role vis-à-vis USAID service delivery projects COMPASS (Community Participation for Action in the Social Sectors) and GHAIN (Global HIV/AIDS Initiative in Nigeria).

ENHANSE envisions a responsive society in which every Nigerian can actively access and use high quality health and education services. Therefore the projects efforts are focused on engendering bold political leadership, providing technical assistance and expanding institutional capacity to demand and use accurate and relevant information to develop and improve health and education policies, plans, legislation and programs. It also pays attention to positioning civil society networks to advocate for and implement health and education programs.

The project’s strategic interventions are programmed to increase political support, legislations, policies, guidelines, regulations and increased funding for effective delivery of health and education services. Private – public partnerships and civil society networks will be created and strengthened and participating actively in the policy process and management of effective advocacy programs. Other targeted achievements include sustained media interest in social sector and HIV & AIDS, entrenched respect for the fundamental rights of all PLWHAs, increased use of up-to-date information in policy, planning and legislation and community-level ownership of national policies, legislations and programs.

ENHANSE is a consortium of six international NGOs with scores of years of experience in Nigeria working in the development arena. They are:

• Futures Group. As managing partner, Futures Group provides overall strategic and technical leadership for ENHANSE. It leads the project’s activities in policy, advocacy, research, evaluation and coordinates the small grants program.

• Academy for Educational Development (AED). AED leads ENHANSE activities in the education sector.

• Africare. Africare conveys directly to the presidency through the Independent Policy Group issues relating to health, education, HIV/AIDS and TB policies.

• Internews. Internews focuses on partnerships with the media to strengthen their capacity to provide information on health and education to policy makers and the public.

• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs (CCP). CCP creates demand for the use of relevant information for decision-making; strengthens the capacity of civil society organizations to promote and implement health and education policies; contributes to advocacy efforts; and ensures effective communication of ENHANSE’s successes.

• Pathfinder International. Pathfinder implements ENHANSE's northern strategy, working with faith-based organizations and the national legislature to create a supportive policy environment for health and education programs in the north.

Other programs

• COMPASS
• GHAIN