The Task Force is a non profit organization based in Decatur, Georgia, USA. We promote public health goals and global health equity by building coalitions, forging consensus, and leveraging scarce resources. Since our inception 25 years ago, we have worked effectively to convene people and organizations from public and private sectors to improve health conditions for children and families around the world. We facilitate consensus and implement programs to support better global health in the areas of infectious diseases, such as polio, malaria, river blindness, HIV/AIDS, and trachoma. We also help public health organizations develop and implement information systems that support improved health and well-being in communities. All of our work is consistent with our core values of social justice, integrity, commitment to children, and optimism.

Our History

Formed in 1984 as a coalition of the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the United Nations Development Programmme, the World Bank, and The Rockefeller Foundation, the Task Force was developed as the Secretariat for these organizations, helping increase immunization rates and changces of survival for children in developing countries. To lead the project, Dr. William Foege, former Director of the CDC, marshaled some of the best and brightest minds in public health into a taskforce of professionals committed to the goal of child survival. The efforts of the Task Force helped the world set a new milestone for global health. Our approach and willingness to create new partnerships and reach across sectors and borders helped us develop new program opportunities and broaden our mission of support to organizations and communities. This same principle of building coalitions and partnering with other organizations is applied at the Task Force today. The Task Force brings together a strong collection of programs with an emphasis on collaboration to improve global health. Generally, our programs encompass the areas of Infectious Diseases,Immunization and Child Well-being, Neglected Tropical Diseases, and Informatics.

In recent years, the Task Force has continued to grow, and our reputation continues to attract significant national and international programs. For example:

• The International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) joined the Task Force, transferring operations to the Task Force as of April 1, 2009. ITI adds to our complement of programs focused on neglected tropical diseases and benefits from the Task Force experience in this area.
• Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) became a program of the Task Force in November 2008.
• The Task Force formed a partnership with Johnson & Johnson to initiate a global de-worming program, Children Without Worms, reaching 25 million school-age children in Cameroon, Bangladesh, Zambia and Uganda during the first year of implementation.
• The Lymphatic Filariasis Support Center (LFSC) joined the Task Force in 2006 and recently received significant multi-year funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to pursue eradication of LF.