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20 Essentials Reading Time: 2 minutes

Introducing 20 Essential Resources on the Private Sector and Family Planning

A new collection in partnership with SHOPS Plus


The Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus project is delighted to partner with Knowledge SUCCESS to bring you this curated collection of resources highlighting the importance of the private sector in family planning programming.

Why we created this collection

The private health sector is a critical partner for advancing health outcomes. In sub-Saharan Africa, 50 percent of family planning clients obtain their methods from private providers. In Asia, the number rises to 65 percent. Similarly, for the treatment of childhood illnesses, the majority of caregivers turn to private providers.

Only by fully engaging with this sector of the health system can we achieve global health coverage and equity goals.

As USAID’s flagship initiative in private sector health, the Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus project has a mandate to advance learning. Lessons are generated from the implementation of a variety of approaches. The SHOPS Plus Resource Center houses thousands of resources on the private health sector, readily accessible.

To accelerate improvement in family planning markets, USAID asked SHOPS Plus to lead the development of a curated collection of the most essential resources on the private sector for family planning programs and policymakers.

How we chose the resources

We collaborated with two other global projects—Support for International Family Planning Organizations II (led by PSI) and Health Policy Plus (led by Palladium)—to create this collection of resources. Our criteria for selection were straightforward. To be included in this collection, a resource must:

  1. Add to the global evidence base to improve private sector programming;
  2. Be relevant for more than one country—unless …
  3. … If the resource focuses on a single country, it should present a new methodology or data for understanding the private sector globally.

What is included in this collection?

With these factors in mind, our experts from the three projects sifted through their databases to bring you the most helpful resources on the private sector in family planning. We have done the filtering, so you won’t have to. The collection includes a mix of publications and online tools categorized into the following topics:

  • Organizing private providers,
  • Enabling environment,
  • Total market approach, and
  • Innovating financing

Each entry comes with a summary and statement on why it is essential. We hope you find these resources informative.

Elizabeth Corley

Director of Communications, SHOPS Plus, Abt Associates

Elizabeth Corley is the Director of Communications for the SHOPS Plus project. She is a strategic communications and knowledge management professional with more than 20 years of experience. Prior to joining Abt Associates, she led communications for Development Gateway, founded by the World Bank, where she promoted information and communications technologies for development. Before that, she managed communications for Futures Group. A recognized storyteller for international development, Corley has received communications industry awards for her work in video and print production. She serves as co-chair of the Global Health Knowledge Collaborative. She earned a MA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and a BA from Boston University.

Sophie Weiner

Program Officer II, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Sophie Weiner is a Knowledge Management and Communications Program Officer II at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs where she is dedicated to developing print and digital content, coordinating project events, and strengthening capacity for storytelling in Francophone Africa. Her interests include family planning/reproductive health, social and behavior change, and the intersection between population, health, and the environment. Sophie holds a B.A. in French/International Relations from Bucknell University, an M.A. in French from New York University, and a master’s degree in Literary Translation from the Sorbonne Nouvelle.