Governments have a legitimate concern with slowing population growth. But often this has been attempted with little concern for the individuals most affected.

It is not enough to give money for demonstration projects. From the very beginning plans should be made for the scaling-up of successful innovations.

I often say that shareholders should feel very responsible for how responsive corporations are to the public trust.

If policy makers and program managers participate in an interdisciplinary assessment team, make informal visits to local families and have in-depth conversations with local providers and health authorities, the real needs and complex challenges of organizing good reproductive health services become apparent.

One of the things we have learned in the first year is that if you want to scale-up, the first thing you have to do is to expand your own team.

If instead policy makers and program managers participate in an interdisciplinary assessment team, make informal visits to local families and have in-depth conversations with local providers and health authorities, the real needs and complex challenges of organizing good reproductive health services become apparent.The first country that implemented this participatory program of assessment, research and policy development was Brazil. I was one of the outsiders who provided support to the initiative.

We felt that the Gates Foundation looked at our track record and our publications and decided that "this is persuasive; this needs to be done. Let's see what they can do."