On the Ground Blogs

The consensus among delegates here is that if we are going to stop the epidemic in Namibia we will need to increase efforts and investments because aside from the challenges of starting in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Namibia, finishing the fight is most difficult part of this massive and complex effort.

Our programs and professionals made tangible strides in building health capacity across the globe in 2016. Our volunteers inspired health workers every day in hospitals and clinics that serve the most vulnerable patients – newborns and their mothers.

On this World AIDS Day, I am feeling very inspired by colleagues in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Namibia, the same country where I first decided to join the fight quite a few years ago.

Carma Erickson-Hurt is a Project HOPE volunteer and expert in palliative care. She provides training in palliative care and end of life nursing all over the world.

Riska, a midwife trained through Project HOPE's Saving Lives at Birth program, safely delivered a baby after a mom's membrane ruptured too soon.

Here is another example of how the Saving Lives at Birth program is working in Indonesia.

A community health volunteer in Mentang, Indonesia tells how her Project HOPE-provided training saved the life of a mother in labor

Project HOPE has helped strengthen the partnership between the Community Health Volunteers and Traditional Birth Attendants (so they don't handle deliveries themselves but refer women to deliver with midwives).

Community Health Workers in Serang, Indonesia have been trained by Project HOPE. They encourage pregnant women to visit Health Posts where they receive better care.

Mrs. Lina, a midwife in Mancak, Indonesia recounts how the Saving Lives at Birth program gave her the skills and confidence to help a patient during a delivery.

Project HOPE training contributed to saving the life of a newborn baby in Serang, Indonesia.

Haiti is awash with broken buildings. Piles of fallen trees lay on the ground like heaps of huge match sticks. Trauma is palpable everywhere and our disaster relief team has wasted no time building potential partnerships with Haiti’s Ministry of Health to try to find a clear path forward for Haitians. Short and long-term needs of the Haitian people are a priority for those in government because food and water supplies, and homes and health systems were crumbled by the Category 4 storm that swept across the Caribbean.