Population Services International

Last updated
Population Services International
FormationJanuary 1, 1970;53 years ago (1970-01-01)
Founder Phil Harvey, Tim Black and Jean Black
Founded atChapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Type NGO
56-0942853 [1]
Legal status 501(c)(3) charitable organization
Headquarters Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates 38°54′16″N77°02′38″W / 38.9045517°N 77.043873°W / 38.9045517; -77.043873
J. Brian Atwood, Ph.D. [2]
Karl Hofmann [3]
Subsidiaries Prudence LLC [1]
Revenue (2013)
$584,029,958 [1]
Expenses (2013)$579,319,073 [1]
Employees (2013)
392 [1]
Volunteers (2013)
685 [1]
Website www.psi.org

Population Services International (PSI) is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit global health organization that began as an international not-for-profit provider of contraception and safe abortion services, and has evolved into developing and deploying programs today that target malaria, child survival, HIV, and reproductive health. PSI provides products, clinical services and behavior change communications for the health of people in high-need populations. [4]

Contents

History

PSI was founded in 1970 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by the American entrepreneur, philanthropist and libertarian Phil Harvey, Dr. Tim Black, a British physician with experience in the United Kingdom, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and New Guinea [5] (now, Papua New Guinea), and Black’s wife, Jean.

In 1969, Harvey and Tim Black met while working towards Master's degrees in family planning and population dynamics at the University of North Carolina. [5] While still graduate students, they and Jean Black co-founded a retail and mail-order business called Adam and Eve, selling condoms and sex aids in the United States and internationally in order to use the profits to finance family-planning programs in developing countries. Upon completion of their degrees, they co-founded PSI as a charitable not-for-profit organization, using revenue from Adam and Eve to fund the organization.  

Harvey and Tim and Jean Black were the original directors of PSI, with Harvey serving as executive director from 1970 to 1977. Harvey remained on the PSI Board until 2003. While serving as PSI directors, Tim and Jean Black moved to Kenya from 1970-74 to set up a PSI-run Contraceptive Social Marketing [6] pilot program, which with support from USAID and other agencies would later be expanded to other African countries. [7]

In 1971, the PSI Board was expanded through the addition of Dr. Geoffrey Davis, [8] an Australian physician affiliated with the International Abortion Research and Training Centre in London. [9] In the 1960s, Davis operated two clinics in the Sydney suburbs of Potts Point and Arncliffe, where he carried out discreet pregnancy terminations until the 1971 legalization in New South Wales of abortion in cases where pregnancy puts a woman's life or physical or mental health at risk. [10]

In 1974, PSI began experiencing significant international growth, with Davis being named Project Director for PSI Southeast Asia and Oceania, [8] incorporated as Population Services International (Australasia) Ltd, with headquarters in Davis’s Potts Point clinic offices. [11] Davis held that position for a decade, when he became Director of PSI Australia, from 1984 until his retirement in 1988.

Also in 1974, Tim and Jean Black, newly returned from Kenya to London, set up a European branch of PSI called Population Services Family Planning Programme Ltd, which by 1976 had taken over the bankrupt Marie Stopes Foundation, renaming it as Marie Stopes International [12] (now MSI Reproductive Choices). Marie Stopes International/MSI Reproductive Services directors included PSI founder Tim Black until 2014 and Phil Harvey until 2021. [12]

Programs

Today, PSI's world headquarters are in Washington, D.C., and its European offices are in Amsterdam. The organization employs more than 250 U.S. staff, more than 150 overseas expatriate staff and 8,000 local PSI affiliate staff. Major donors include the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands; the Global Fund, United Nations agencies, private foundations, corporations and individuals.

It is a member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based coalition of over 400 major companies and NGOs that advocates for a larger International Affairs Budget, which funds American diplomatic and development efforts abroad. [13]

Celebrity ambassadors

PSI works with celebrity ambassadors to raise awareness about the organization's work. Ambassadors have joined PSI staff on international trips to gain a better understanding of PSI's work, testified before Congress to promote increased funding of global health programs, and taken part in many conferences and forums to enhance PSI's visibility. As of 2017, PSI has three celebrity ambassadors: Ashley Judd, Mandy Moore, and Debra Messing. [14]

External reviews

PSI is one of a select group of charities endorsed by noted philosopher and Princeton Professor Peter Singer as Highly Effective in the fight against extreme poverty.[ citation needed ]

Charity evaluator GiveWell first reviewed PSI in 2007, [15] again in 2009 [16] and then again in 2011. [17] Initially, GiveWell recommended PSI as one of its top charities. [18] However, in its most recent review, GiveWell states that "The evidence we have seen does not clearly show that PSI has the impact it intends" while at the same time praising PSI for "(a) focusing on programs with proven impact and (b) monitoring whether these programs are implemented effectively."

In 2007 and 2008 PSI was highlighted by Fast Company [19] as a Top Social Capitalist, noting the organization's private sector partnerships with Procter & Gamble and others.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family planning</span> Planning when to have children

Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marital situation, career or work considerations, financial situations. If sexually active, family planning may involve the use of contraception and other techniques to control the timing of reproduction.

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides reproductive and sexual healthcare, and sexual education in the United States and globally. It is a member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).

Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:

Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global non-governmental organisation with the broad aims of promoting sexual and reproductive health, and advocating the right of individuals to make their own choices in family planning. It was first formed in 1952 in Bombay, India, by Margaret Sanger and Lady Rama Rau at the Third International Conference on Planned Parenthood with support of an expanding population with limited resources. Presently, it consists of more than 149 Member Associations working in more than 189 countries. The IPPF is highly developed and organised into six regions. The organisation is based in London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Harvey</span> American businessman and philanthropist (1938–2021)

Phil Harvey was an American entrepreneur, philanthropist and libertarian who set up large-scale programs that delivered subsidized contraceptives in poor countries. Harvey was the founder and former president of DKT International, the Washington, D.C.-based charity that implements family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention programs in 57 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. He was the chief sponsor of the DKT Liberty Project which raised awareness about freedom of speech issues in the U.S. Harvey was also the president of Adam & Eve, the North Carolina–based company that sells sex toys, adult films and condoms. Consequently, he has been called "one of the most influential figures in the American sex industry today".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EngenderHealth</span>

EngenderHealth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. with a focus in sexual and reproductive health (SRH). The organization operates in nearly 20 countries throughout Africa, Asia, and North and South America.

MSI Reproductive Choices, named Marie Stopes International until November 2020, is an international non-governmental organisation providing contraception and safe abortion services in 37 countries around the world. MSI Reproductive Choices as an organisation lobbies in favour of access to abortion, and provides a variety of sexual and reproductive healthcare services including advice, vasectomies, and abortions in the UK and other countries where it is legal to do so. It is based in London and is a registered charity under English law.

Abortion in the Philippines is illegal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam & Eve (company)</span> American marketer of sex toys and other adult products

Adam & Eve is an American company that sells adult products through e-commerce. In 2004, it was the largest mail order distributor of sex toys, condoms, and erotica in the United States. Its parent company, PHE Inc., is the largest private employer in Hillsborough, North Carolina, where its headquarters are located. The company funds non-profit social marketing organizations that address issues such as population growth, disease control, and sex education in developing countries.

Reproductive justice is a critical feminist framework that was invented as a response to United States reproductive politics. The three core values of reproductive justice are the right to have a child, the right to not have a child, and the right to parent a child or children in safe and healthy environments. The framework moves women's reproductive rights past a legal and political debate to incorporate the economic, social, and health factors that impact women's reproductive choices and decision-making ability.

Population Action International (PAI) is an international, non-governmental organization that uses research and advocacy to improve global access to family planning and reproductive health care. Its mission is to "ensure that every person has the right and access to sexual and reproductive health, so that humanity and the natural environment can exist in balance with fewer people living in poverty". PAI's headquarters is in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DKT International</span>

DKT International (DKT) is a charitable non-profit organization that promotes family planning and HIV prevention through social marketing. The Washington, D.C.-based DKT was founded in 1989 by Phil Harvey and operates in 90 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Its revenue largely comes from sales of low-cost contraceptives. In 2021, DKT sold 901 million condoms, 111 million cycles of oral contraceptives, 26.5 million injectable contraceptives, 20 million emergency contraceptives and 4.7 million intrauterine devices (IUDs), among other products, in 59 countries. This is equivalent to 54.2 million couple years of protection (CYPs), making DKT one of the largest private providers of contraceptives in the developing world. The average cost per CYP was US$1.65. DKT's marketing strategies have included advertising, creating location-specific brands, working with social networks and militaries, and targeting high-risk groups. DKT also works with health workers and clinics that provide family planning products, information, and services. Charity Navigator has given DKT a four-star rating for its finances, with 96.5% of its budget going towards programs and 3.4% towards headquarters expenses and fund raising in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012</span> Philippine law

The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, also known as the Reproductive Health Law or RH Law, and officially designated as Republic Act No. 10354, is a Philippine law that provided universal access to methods on contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Sanger Awards</span>

The Margaret Sanger Award was an honor awarded annually by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America from 1966 to 2015. Created to honor the legacy of Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, it is the Federation's highest honor. It is given to individuals to recognize excellence and leadership in the reproductive health and rights movement. Although it is identified as an annual award, it hasn't been given out and since 2015.

Dr Timothy Reuben Ladbroke "Tim" Black CBE was a family planning pioneer, a founding director of Population Services International (PSI) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and later founder of Marie Stopes International (MSI) in London.

The Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) is a global partnership of public, private and non-governmental organizations. Its aim is to ensure that all people in low- and middle-income countries can choose, obtain and use the supplies and appropriate services they need to safeguard their reproductive health. Since 2004, the Coalition has been part of international efforts to secure reproductive health supplies by increasing resources, strengthening systems, and building effective partnerships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis Center for Reproductive Health</span>

CHOICES Center for Reproductive Health is an independent, nonprofit reproductive and sexual health provider and was the first abortion clinic in Memphis, Tennessee.

Women's reproductive health in Russia refers to the set of physical, mental, and social health issues and services available to women in Russia. It includes the rights, laws, and problems experienced by women and their families regarding proper reproductive health. Women account for over half of the Russian population and are considered a vulnerable population due to political and social problems from inequalities in gender, age, socioeconomic status, and geographical location that affect access to comprehensive health care. As Russia struggles with a decreasing birthrate and increase in STIs, HIV, and poor reproductive health care, the need for government financed services and international programs is essential to successfully reach this vulnerable population. Currently, women in Russia access care through government funded free services, private insurance, and NGO programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion in Kenya</span> Termination of pregnancy in Kenya

Abortion in Kenya is prohibited with the exception of certain circumstances including danger to the life and health of the expectant mother, and rape. Unsafe abortions are a major cause of deaths and health complications for women in Kenya.

The SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, also known as SisterSong, is a national activist organization dedicated to reproductive justice for women of color.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". Population Services International. Guidestar. December 31, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Board of Directors". Population Services International. Accessed on April 11, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Senior Staff". Population Services International. Accessed on April 11, 2016.
  4. ↑ PSI at a Glance Archived 2010-11-26 at the Wayback Machine , Retrieved on November 16, 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Our history | MSI Reproductive Choices". Making choice possible | MSI Reproductive Choices. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  6. ↑ Black, Tomothy R. L.; Harvey, Philip D. (April 1976). "A Report on a Contraceptive Social Marketing Experiment in Rural Kenya". Studies in Family Planning. 7 (4): 101–108. doi:10.2307/1965042. JSTOR   1965042 . Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Handyside, Alan; Dennis, Regina; Sy, Alpha (May 1998). "CASE STUDY OF THE PSI SOCIAL MARKETING PROGRAM IN CAMEROON" (PDF). USAID.gov. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  8. 1 2 Davis, William (8 October 2008). "Dr GLR Davis, 1933-2008.pdf" (PDF). Sydneybashi-bangla.com. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  9. ↑ Trumbull, Robert (12 May 1972). "Dacca Raising the Status of Women While Aiding Rape Victims". The New York Times. p. 2. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  10. ↑ Simon, Kathryn (December 2008). "Recent Developments in Abortion Law: NSW Paarliamentary Library Research Service" (PDF). NSW.gov.au. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  11. ↑ Cunningham, James (30 August 1975). "Birth Control expert looks at the Cross". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 2.
  12. 1 2 "MSI REPRODUCTIVE CHOICES: Company number 01102208". Gov.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  13. ↑ "Coalition Members". USGLC.
  14. ↑ "| Ambassadors". PSI. 2014-09-16. Archived from the original on 2017-02-11. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  15. ↑ "Population Services International (PSI) - 2007 review - GiveWell". www.givewell.org.
  16. ↑ "Population Services International (PSI) - 2009 review - GiveWell". www.givewell.org.
  17. ↑ "PSI - GiveWell". www.givewell.org.
  18. ↑ Elie (7 January 2007). "Recommending Population Services International". The GiveWell Blog.
  19. ↑ "Social Capitalists: PSI | Fast Company". www.fastcompany.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-13.
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