Information for action: the Clearinghouse project

This document summarizes the activities of the American Public Health Association International Clearinghouse that operated with funding from the US Agency for International Development for 16 years beginning in 1979. The Clearinghouse was established to improve access to information on infant feeding and maternal nutrition for health practitioners and decision-makers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. By 1996, the Clearinghouse had created a substantial and accessible resource for USAID, and its activities included 1) developing an international center for information and materials on maternal and child nutrition and related issues in developing countries, 2) sharing lessons learned through a publication of a regular bulletin ("Mothers and Children"), 3) training staff from field-based organizations on information production and management, and 4) establishing a network of national and regional nutrition and health-related resource centers to increase access to locally published and unpublished information. Thus, the Clearinghouse was more than a library or distribution center; it identified key materials, repackaged information to increase accessibility, and monitored information use. Although the Clearinghouse project ended in 1996, the website on women's rights to maternity protection continues to provide access to information and to encourage dialogue and networking. The lessons learned from the project lead to the conclusions that users' needs must be the basis for increasing information access, that local capacity must be increased through new technologies and traditional methods, and that information resources must be used strategically to ensure equitable access.