Without strengthened human resources for health care, it will be impossible to sustain gains made in child survival, family planning and other areas while responding to critical demands such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

An innovative global initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Capacity Project strengthened human resources to implement quality health programming in developing countries, focusing on:

1. Improving workforce planning and leadership to ensure that the right type and number of health workers are deployed to the right locations
2. Developing better education and training programs so that health workers have the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of their communities
3. Strengthening systems to support workforce performance and encourage workers to remain on the job.

The Capacity Project worked across sectors such as health, education, planning, public service commissions and local government entities to address the varied forces that affect the health workforce. The Project also worked in multiple priority health areas, including HIV/AIDS, family planning/reproductive health and maternal and child health. Promoting gender equality, integrating faith-based and nongovernmental organizations, enhancing HRH knowledge-sharing and fostering global partnerships represented key cross-cutting focus areas.

Launched in October 2004, this five-year initiative was led by IntraHealth International and enriched through the extensive experience of six other global organizations serving as partners (IMA World Health, Jhpiego, Liverpool Associates in Tropical Health, Management Sciences for Health, PATH, Training Resources Group) as well as collaboration with numerous global, regional and national organizations.

Highlights of the Capacity Project’s Results as of September 30, 2009

1. Demonstrating global leadership in human resources for health (HRH)
2. Generating, organizing and communicating knowledge about HRH
3. Providing country-level support to implement effective and sustainable HRH programs

Planning, Developing and Supporting the Health Workforce: Results and Lessons Learned from the Capacity Project, 2004-2009 (Final Report)

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