Information for action: the Clearinghouse Project

The author, formerly Director of the Clearinghouse Project, describes the aims, achievements and underlying philosophy of the Project, which was set up in 1979 by the American Public Health Association (funded by USAID) to improve access to information for health-practitioners in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Clearinghouse is a capacity-building resource, providing information on women and children's nutrition, as well as training for staff in the field, and works from the principle that services can match users needs more accurately if the users and service-providers are involved in communication and networking promoting information-sharing and dialogue.