we predict the trends that will affect a countrys stability and growth.

we see connections between disparate data points that others missallowing us to uncover the real barriers to well-being and discover innovative solutions for a better world.

Nations worldwide share common aspirations: economic growth, social stability and better lives for their people. These goals are dependent on the health and well-being of a nations citizens. When people are healthy, they are free to pursue their education and their work. They can build families and invest in their future. The magnitude and complexity of public health problems in the world today, from HIV/AIDS to malaria, create challenges for leaders working to respond to crises as well as plan for the future. Government officials and NGOs require knowledge and technological solutions to zero in on priorities and diagnose the root causes of problems. They need insight to creatively deploy their resources to tackle these problems in the here and nowand for the long-term. Without effective strategies in place, populations will remain vulnerable and nations will continue to struggle with both unforeseen and persistent health challenges.

Futures Group, the global health consulting firm, helps to protect and promote peoples wellbeing around the world.
Photo by Albert Gonzalez Farran Photo (left) by Carlos Matos

For 40 years, Futures Group, the global health consulting firm, has created lasting solutions to some of the most pressing public health challenges facing nations.

the power of:

suneetas story
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prediction

We peer into the future by using our forecasting tools to help prepare for todays priorities and tomorrows challenges.

insight

We connect the dots between seemingly unrelated pieces of information, uncovering the real barriers to well-being and discovering innovative solutions.

partnership

Photo by Akshay Mahajan

We forge on-the-ground partnerships with all the stakeholders needed to ensure lasting change for better communities and a better world.

In 2005, Suneeta Sharma frowned as she looked at the data for poor women who accessed reproductive health services in Agra, a city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Suneeta, office director for Futures Group India, began a fiveyear process with under the USAID | Innovations in Family Planning Services Technical Assistance Project to uncover what was preventing poor women in India from accessing reproductive health services and how to reverse the troubling trend. Early on, Suneeta met Abha, a 25-year-old pregnant woman who lived in a poor neighborhood in Agra. Abha discovered she would need a C-section to deliver her baby safely, but there were no affordable options for poor pregnant women. My family had to borrow Rs. 20,000 to pay for the doctor and my operation, said Abha. Suneetas team discovered that cost was a huge factor preventing women from accessing reproductive health care. To solve the problem, Suneetas team piloted a voucher program in Abhas neighborhood. Their idea: give women who live below the poverty line vouchers to receive health services at private hospitals. A government agency would reimburse the hospitals.

Suneetas team faced considerable barriers: not only were there resource issues, but private hospitals were opposed to a plan to reimburse them below the market rate. Using Futures Group forecasting tools, Suneeta showed policymakers how they would save in the long-run by providing safe and high-quality reproductive health services. With policymakers convinced, Suneetas team turned to leaders at the highly respected local teaching hospitals, who highlighted a benefit of the program: it would increase the number of people seeking services something the hospitals were desperate to do. After the program launched, Abha learned she was expecting her second childagain facing delivery via C-section. This time, she obtained a voucher to give birth at a private hospital for free. The doctor was good, the facility was clean and I didnt need to take out a second loan, said Abha. Suneetas team discovered what prevented women like Abha and their families from obtaining reproductive health services. With their on-theground relationships and local insight, they built a program that made it possible for poor women like Abha to receive free, high-quality reproductive health care. Six years after their pilot, their program has now been taken to scale.

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Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Futures Group has worked over the past 40 years in more than 100 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe on more than 600 projects, and is currently running projects in over 40 countries with more than 400 staff worldwide.

This is why I joined Futures Groupto find long-term, sustainable solutions to the real public health challenges affecting peoples lives, said Suneeta.
One Thomas Circle NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 202.775.9680 www.futuresgroup.com

To learn more about Futures Group, go to www.futuresgroup.com or write to us at communications@futuresgroup.com.