2021 Annual Report

Increasing Our Commitment to Health Equity

In many ways, 2021 was another difficult year for the world’s health. It was a year of deadly COVID-19 variants, devastating hurricanes, catastrophic disasters, and tragic losses in maternal and child health that will take years to undo.

But even more alarming, it was a year in which health inequities increased, especially among vulnerable populations, communities of color, and those disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

Health inequities are often visible, especially during humanitarian crises such as those in Venezuela, Syria, Yemen, or Ethiopia. But they can also be harder to see — like a rural community in Haiti that loses its clinic after a powerful earthquake. Or a neighborhood in Nepal whose hospital runs out of oxygen. Or even an immigrant community in Texas without the access to vaccines that many of us take for granted.

At Project HOPE, we refuse to accept these things as normal. Our teams around the world worked tirelessly in 2021 to improve access to health care, especially on the front lines of health systems hit hard by the pandemic. With your support, we were able to deliver lifesaving vaccines, PPE, medical equipment, and training to help health workers facing deadly COVID-19 waves, all while ensuring that our essential global health work continues to improve health equity among those who need it most, including mothers, children, people living with disease, and those facing the aftermath of disaster.

Access to health care should be a fundamental right for all people everywhere, regardless of gender, age, race, resident status, religion, or income. Because of your support, we were able to live up to this principle in 2021. Thank you for supporting Project HOPE and improving access to health care around the world.