Neonatal and obstetric care is challenging in the Dominican Republic – nearly all births in the nation of 10.7 million take place at hospitals, yet many lack the space and equipment needed to meet the high volume of patients. With help from volunteers like obstetrician Jen Ballard, Project HOPE is working to reduce the Dominican neonatal mortality rate and provide care to expectant mothers – many of whom are still teenagers.

Project HOPE works around the world to support and implement health care programs that literally change the perspective and direction of lives – for children, teenagers, mothers, families and communities.

When disaster strikes, mental health support is just as important as physical aid. Karen Beetle has been volunteering for years; after hearing about the devastation Hurricane Maria brought to the Caribbean, she knew her skills were needed.

Hurricane Maria was the deadliest storm to hit U.S. soil in over 100 years. As communities still struggle to cope with damaged homes, a crippled health care system, and a dearth of medicine, some are learning to find strength from within – their families, communities, and most importantly, themselves.

Noncommunicable diseases are increasing at an alarming rate in both rural and urban India, with long-term consequences on the nation’s health and finances.

Even before Hurricane Maria brought widespread devastation to the island, Puerto Rico had a diabetes prevalence rate about 50% higher than the general U.S. population. A year after the storm, which caused over $90 billion in damage, locals are still working with charitable NGOs like Project HOPE to restore the territory’s disrupted healthcare system.

Though health care is readily available for its 10.4 million residents, the Caribbean’s second-most populous country also has the second-highest neonatal mortality rate in the region. With contributions from Project HOPE’s health workers, obstetric patients in the Dominican Republic are learning to find support and guidance from their doctors as well as their neighbors.

In Ethiopia, women between the ages of 15 and 49 are almost twice as likely to contract HIV as males in the same age group. With the help of health workers, trained by Project HOPE, traveling door-to-door, one woman decided not to let her diagnosis – or a series of personal tragedies – define her.

As the national economy crumbles, up to 4,000 Venezuelans are crossing the border into Colombia every day, often with only the possessions they can carry.

The resilience of the Haitian people was tested once again recently when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck near the northwestern city of Port-au-Paix on Oct. 6, killing at least 14 people and injuring 200 others.

Ibu Rizka is trained for the worst. She has seen patients in their darkest hours and endured the agony of searching for colleagues who don’t report to work after disasters, their fates unknown. Now, the Indonesian emergency room nurse and Disaster and Crisis Management Coordinator is coping with the aftermath of more tragedy, following the earthquake and tsunami that hit Central Sulawesi on September 28.