The Manoff Group, Inc.

The Manoff Group provides assistance in communications and behavior-centered programming to nutrition, health, environment, water, and HIV/AIDS programs. The firm has been at the forefront of social marketing development since it first applied commercial marketing techniques to social programs in India in 1967. The Manoff Group is a woman-owned small business. For over 30 years, The Manoff Group has brought innovations in qualitative research methods, communication, media planning, and materials development to programs around the globe. This focus continues in our work on counseling and negotiation skills and developing tools to change behavior and improve health outcomes. Our work in information, knowledge management, and project communications is expanding: We are providing expertise to projects to develop, produce, and share information using a variety of formats and technologies.   PROGRAMS The majority of our programs are collaborative with multiple partners, governments, and organizations working together on specific activities. The Manoff Group has experience in over fifty countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Our on-the-ground involvement ranges from permanent field staff who receive technical and administrative support from headquarters, to field visits by headquarters staff to provide technical assistance and supervision.   CHILD HEALTH The majority of childhood deaths in developing countries are due to diarrheal disease, acute lower respiratory tract infections, malaria, measles and malnutrition. The Manoff Group has applied tools and concepts from social marketing and communication and been a pioneer in improving child health and development. Our work has concentrated on evaluating and extending knowledge and programs for the prevention of childhood illness; treatment and care of the sick child; and increasing the public demand, understanding and use of health services.   NUTRITION For the last 40 years, a major focus of The Manoff Group has been improving the nutrition of children and their families. The Manoff Group believes that successful nutrition programs must actively engage communities and families in the process—from assessment through implementation. Nutrition is a key determinant of health at any age, and successful nutrition interventions require an understanding of the scientific reasons for the nutrition problem and knowledge about the culture and practices of the community.   COMMUNITY-BASED GROWTH PROMOTION The Manoff Group pioneered the development of community-based growth promotion (CBGP) to prevent malnutrition in young children. CBGP is centered on individual, family and community actions to improve child health and nutrition in response to adequate growth. The CBGP approach can be scaled up nationwide while still remaining participatory, community-based and effective in reducing young child malnutrition. In addition, CBGP can serve as a platform for other child health interventions such as immunization and C-IMCI, as well as family planning and reproductive health interventions. The government of Honduras has adopted community-based growth promotion as the primary intervention to address child health nationwide. The CBGP approach has been applied in nine countries in Latin America including the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and several sub-Saharan African countries.   ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Environmental health is a critical component of maternal-newborn-child health (MNCH) and overall community health. The Manoff Group's approach to environmental health has been shaped by three decades of work on integrated and innovative solutions to a range of environmental health issues.   MATERNAL AND NEONATAL HEALTH Complications of pregnancy are the leading cause of death and disability for women ages 15-49 in developing countries. The Manoff Group developed and applied a comprehensive behavior change approach to improve maternal and neonatal health. Our approach builds on interventions at the household, community and health facility levels and responds to lessons learned and global program experience from the first decade of the Safe Motherhood Initiative.   REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH The Manoff Group works on a range of activities in reproductive health including communication about harmful traditional practices, family planning and adolescent reproductive health.   HIV/AIDS The Manoff Group has applied its innovative behavior-centered approach to many aspects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, tailoring activities to each context. Our prevention work with vulnerable populations results in reduced infection risk, and we are achieving sustainable improvements in practices related to the care and treatment of People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).