A full merger between international aid charity Plan UK and sexual health charity Interact Worldwide will complete by 1 July.

The two organisations entered a partial merger in October 2009 with Interact becoming a fully owned subsidiary of Plan UK. But after further integration the boards have agreed the charities should become one, under the Plan UK name.

Tanya Barron, chief executive of Plan UK, said the move would allow for greater impact.  “We anticipate this move will have a positive impact on our work and beneficiaries in developing countries, allowing many more young people to benefit from quality sexual and reproductive health and rights work,” she added.

The merger will mean an expansion of Interact’s activities from working in six countries to as many as 50.

The boards of the two charities will be merged, and at least one staff redundancy will be made while all other Interact staff will be offered the chance to move to Plan UK. Other roles may potentially change. In its latest accounts to June 2012 Interact specificed an average of 13.7 full-time equivolent staff throughout the year.

Barron asked that Interact donors begin to transfer their support to Plan UK: “As a valued and dedicated supporter of Interact Worldwide and the causes of sexual and reproductive health, family planning, and young people’s rights to both, we need help now more than ever,” she said. However the Interact brand will remain active to describe the ongoing work in sexual and reproductive health within Plan UK.