CHAI began working in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2016, partnering with the government to improve access to family planning tools, including contraception. Through a partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), we worked with the government’s National Reproductive Health Program to develop and institute a national quantification guide to better estimate contraceptive needs in the country. CHAI helped the government reach students with contraception messages and 7,932 students were put on contraception.

Since then, CHAI has worked with the government to understand its needs across the health system, including creating an electronic logistics management information system. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, CHAI supported the deployment of rapid antigenic tests and GeneXpert tests for COVID-19. We trained over 270 providers from 190 health centers in seven provinces to use these testing tools.

We are also partnering with the government to increase access to newer and more effective HIV medications and diagnostic tools, including point-of-care testing, to link patients to care more quickly. We are working to reduce deaths from malaria—one of the leading causes of mortality for children under five. This includes, alongside our partners, launching various assessments on surveillance, community health, supply chain, and oxygen.