RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC — Two projects managed by FHI 360 are finalists for the prestigious Katerva Awards for Sustainability. Communication for Change (C-Change) is one of five finalists in the Behavior Change category, and Sino-implant (II) is one of five finalists in the Human Development category. The Katerva Awards recognize what their website calls "paradigm-busting ideas" in 10 categories.

"Katerva isn't looking for ideas that will improve the world in small increments. … Our Award winners don't simply move the needle when it comes to efficiency, lifestyle or consumption; they change the game entirely," the Web site's description of the awards reads. "This is a celebration of radical innovation and an acceleration of much needed change."

C-Change, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development through a five-year cooperative agreement, is managed by FHI 360 and implemented with various partners in North America and several developing countries. C-Change's goal is to strengthen and facilitate the use of social and behavior change communication to prevent disease and improve lives, as well as to advocate for structural and environmental change.

The goal of the Sino-implant (II) initiative, which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and led by FHI 360, is to increase access to high-quality, affordable contraceptive implants for women in low-resource settings. Through this initiative, Sino-implant (II) has been approved for use by regulatory authorities in 22 countries. Over 700,000 units of Sino-implant (II) have been procured in countries covered under the project, saving money over the costs of more expensive family planning methods. According to the Marie Stopes International impact calculator, the units of Sino-implant (II) procured to date can provide 2.4 million couple-years of protection from pregnancy and prevent more than 660,000 unintended pregnancies, 2,600 maternal deaths and 126,000 abortions.

Also, the influence of Sino-implant (II) has helped lower the price of other implants. Tracey Brett, Associate Director of Procurement and Logistics for Marie Stopes International, said, "Sino-implant (II) is an important low-cost product and has played a critical role in this process by putting market pressure on implant manufacturers to lower their prices."

Recently, Bayer HealthCare announced it will be lowering the price of its two-rod contraceptive implant by half in January 2013, making it available in low-income countries where it is registered at a price comparable to the current price of Sino-implant (II).

For more information about the Sino-implant (II) project, click here.

"We congratulate the C-Change and Sino-implant (II) teams on being named finalists for the Katerva Awards," said Tim Mastro, MD, Group Director of Global Health, Population and Nutrition at FHI 360. "We are very proud of the sustainable impact FHI 360 is making through these two signature projects."

The grand prize winners of the Katerva Awards will be announced later this year.

Katerva is a global network of action designed to convene, catalyze and accelerate breakthrough solutions to global challenges. Katerva's global network of networks includes nongovernmental organizations, thought and business leaders, academics, institutions, political and celebrity figures, and activists the world over. Growing and galvanizing this network is an essential step toward leading global collaborative change. Its headquarters are in Surrey, United Kingdom.