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Promoting Results and Outcomes through Policy and Economic Levers (PROPEL) Adapt


A brief introduction of the new endeavors underway with USAID’s reproductive health project, PROPEL Adapt.

Strengthening Health Resilience in Fragile Settings

In an increasingly complex global landscape, addressing the healthcare needs of at-risk populations in fragile settings requires innovative, cross-sectoral approaches. That’s where USAID’s PROPEL Adapt project comes in. 

PROPEL Adapt’s goal is to enhance the enabling environment—the conditions, policies, systems, and factors for voluntary family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH). The project’s aim is to integrate FP/RH services into broader healthcare systems, encompassing HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health (MCH), and primary healthcare (PHC).

“In order to ensure that women and the most vulnerable populations are protected in times of crisis, effective policies need to be in place prior to a crisis, funding needs to be identified and mobilized, communities need to advocate proactively, and accountability structures need to be in place. PROPEL Adapt utilizes these critical levers to promote voluntary FP/RH and integration with HIV/AIDS and MCH, ensuring these services are available during crises and contribute to long-term resilience.”

–Michael Rodriguez, Project Director

Working at the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus

Complex emergencies demand holistic solutions, involving stakeholders across the humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus. PROPEL Adapt operates at this nexus, evaluating factors that facilitate smooth transitions from crisis response to long-term recovery and preparedness. 

Towards Universal Health Coverage and Gender Equality

Aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 3.8 and 5, PROPEL Adapt’s approach centers on achieving universal health coverage while prioritizing gender equality and empowerment. The project focuses on inclusivity, particularly for marginalized and excluded populations.

Our Work in Mali

 

PROPEL Adapt is in the process of establishing its first country office in Mali. Here, the project aims to advance the country’s progress towards UHC by leveraging and strengthening existing local platforms and mechanisms for health insurance in the country’s agricultural and most populous regions. The project will also work to improve the enabling environment surrounding health mutuelles, which cover an essential package of basic health services while increasing access to them.

We invite you to follow the progress of the PROPEL Adapt team and activities on LinkedIn as we embark on this important journey. 

Kelly McDonald, MS

Communications Manager, PROPEL Adapt

Kelly McDonald is the Communications Manager at Action Against Hunger for the PROPEL Adapt project. Before PROPEL Adapt, Kelly worked at JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc. (JSI), where she served in a variety of communications and project management roles. Specifically, she was the Communications Specialist on the Country Programs team for USAID Advancing Nutrition and worked on the previous USAID nutrition project, SPRING. She also worked on JSI’s Immunization Center. Miss McDonald received her MS degree from the Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy at Tufts University and completed her undergraduate studies in Cognitive Science with a minor in Gender and Health at the University of Michigan.

Michael Rodriguez, PMP

Project Director, PROPEL Adapt

Michael Rodriguez, Project Director for PROPEL Adapt, is a Project Management Institute-certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with more than 25 years of social impact, project leadership, strategic management, teaching and public health experience across more than 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, the United States and across the South Pacific. Mr. Rodriguez has served in senior project leadership roles across large, centrally-funded USAID projects in excess of $250 million, including the Supply Chain Management System, USAID | DELIVER, Health Systems 20/20, Health Finance and Governance and MEASURE Evaluation teams, as well as serving in country-based leadership roles in Myanmar and Fiji. He has deep technical experience in health information systems design, strengthening and implementation; supply chain management; primary healthcare, family planning and reproductive health, NCDs, HIV, TB, malaria, and RMNCH programs; and monitoring and evaluation. Aside from his PMP, he is trained as a Community Emergency Response Team and Medical Reserve Corp member, has professional fluency in English, Arabic, Spanish, and Hebrew; elementary Cantonese, Burmese and Fijian; and is Scrum Alliance (Agile) certified