South Africa

John Snow, Inc. (JSI) has been a public health leader in South Africa since 2000, collaborating and partnering with the national and provincial governments of South Africa, non-governmental and civil society organizations, international partners, and a range of funders. Over the past twenty years, JSI has worked in all of South Africa’s nine provinces to complete more than 20 public health projects in a diverse range of technical areas including supply chain management, health information systems, data utilization, digital health, capacity development and HIV prevention, care, and treatment.

Technical assistance has been contributed to efforts to strengthen the country’s health system at all levels, from building the capacity of individuals and institutions at the national level, provincial, and district levels, to assisting people living in communities to access lifesaving health services and medicines they need. JSI has a reputation for collaborating and co-creating with clients and pursuing innovative ways in which to address challenges. An example of this is the free mobile application developed to support the quality of data of the National Indicator Data Set. Legacy documents and policies, such as the Standard Operating Procedures for Data Management for all reporting levels, bear testimony to the sustainability of efforts and responsiveness to the clients’ needs.

• JSI focuses on supporting a full spectrum of public health initiatives, with a focus on sustainability that will be critical for years to come, given their significance in South Africa’s National Strategic Plan (NSP). Recent programs completed with success and learning are direct service delivery (DSD) activities, particularly in the areas of voluntary male/medical circumcision (VMMC) and care and treatment (C&T) with focus on partner and family index testing. A particular focus of JSI’s work has been to strengthen and expand the reach of demand generation activities and also capacity building in strengthening the ability of partners to set benchmarks and measure performance. We have also partnered with different organizations, including the South African Government, in activities aimed at strengthening health information systems at national, provincial, and district levels.
• JSI supported the DREAMS Gilead Foundation in the supply chain management process of PrEP distribution to eight Implementing Partners in South Africa in collaboration with PEPFAR. JSI is therefore positioned to meet the unique requirements of purchasing, importing, storage, and distribution of pharmaceuticals.

In 2014, JSI deepened its commitment to strengthening South Africa’s health system by forming John Snow South Africa (JSSA), with a mission to serve the underserved communities in the country. JSSA is an affiliate of JSI registered in accordance with South African laws and is Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) compliant with Level 4 certification.