Merck is a founding partner in the GAVI Alliance (GAVI), a historic public/private partnership committed to improving the health of children by strengthening health systems and extending the reach and quality of immunization coverage in least developed countries. As part of our commitment to GAVI, Merck initiated the Merck Vaccine Network - Africa (MVN-A), a multi-year philanthropic initiative to help increase the capacity of national immunization programs in Africa by supporting academic partnerships in the development of sustainable immunization training programs. This capacity building initiative also supports the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, including reducing by two-thirds the mortality rate among children under five by 2015 (MDG 4).

In support of GAVI's mission of increasing children's access to vaccines and strengthening delivery systems in the world's poorest countries, MVN-A training programs in Kenya, Mali, Uganda and Zambia provide mid- to high-level immunization program managers with hands-on training in vaccine management and immunization services.  MVN-A training programs operate in close, strategic partnership with key national stakeholders including Ministries of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

First MVN-A Training Programs in Kenya and Mali

With funding from The Merck Company Foundation, MVN-A was launched in 2003 with the establishment of training programs in Kenya and Mali, both selected through a competitive grant process. The programs provide mid- to high-level immunization program managers with hands-on training in vaccine management and immunization services. The independent MVN-A Advisory Board, an international team of experts specializing in immunization policy, financing and training help to guide the program development and selection process.

The MVN-A program in Kenya is a collaboration between Indiana University School of Medicine (Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A.) and Moi University School of Medicine (Eldoret, Kenya). The MVN-A program in Mali is a collaboration between the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Center for Vaccine Development (Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.) and the Centre pour le Développement des Vaccins-Mali (Bamako, Mali).

Both MVN-A programs developed their training based on comprehensive, in-country assessments of national immunization management needs. Training curricula in each country were adapted from educational source materials developed by WHO and other GAVI partners.

Based on the success of the programs, The Merck Company Foundation provided renewed funding in 2007 to both MVN-A programs, enabling them to expand training to additional health workers in Kenya and Mali and to explore innovative training methods to address emerging immunization management needs.

New MVN-A Training Programs in Uganda and Zambia

Following a second competitive grant application process in 2007, The Merck Company Foundation provided supplemental funding to expand MVN-A by establishing two new immunization training programs in Uganda and Zambia.

The MVN-A training program in Uganda is a collaboration between The Task Force for Child Survival and Development, Emory University (Decatur, Georgia, U.S.A.) and Makerere University School of Public Health (Kampala, Uganda). The MVN-A program in Zambia is a collaboration between Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (Brighton, England, U.K.) and the University of Zambia School of Medicine / University Teaching Hospital (Lusaka, Zambia). All MVN-A training programs operate in close, strategic partnership with key national stakeholders including Ministries of Health, WHO, UNICEF and NGOs.

The two new MVN-A training programs have assessed national training needs and continue to adapt educational materials and refine curricula to accelerate the roll-out of new training courses for immunization managers in Uganda and Zambia.

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The content on this page was last modified on September 15, 2009.

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