Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program Scholarships

Since 1984, The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program has provided technical assistance to more than 400 surveys in over 90 countries, advancing global understanding of health and population trends in developing countries.

The DHS Program has earned a worldwide reputation for collecting and disseminating accurate, nationally representative data on fertility, family planning, maternal and child health, gender, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and nutrition.

The DHS Program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Contributions from other donors, as well as funds from participating countries, also support surveys. The project is implemented by ICF.

Since September 2013, ICF has been partnering with six internationally experienced organizations to expand access to and use of the DHS data:

• Avenir Health
• Blue Raster
• EnCompass
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs
• PATH
• Vysnova

The DHS Program...

• Believes that the ultimate purpose of collecting data is its use in policy formation, program planning, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Aims at fostering and reinforcing host country ownership of data collection, analysis, presentation, and use.
• Coordinates with key stakeholders on data collection and dissemination.
• Selects the most appropriate data collection methods to ensure the provision of high-quality data at a reasonable cost.
• Increases the capacity of host-country partners to collect and use data for program and policy purposes.