Three Ways Project HOPE Works to Create a Healthier World
At Project HOPE, we celebrate our commitment to creating a healthier world for all — on World Health Day, and every day. This World Health Day, we are partnering with Urban Plates to highlight the importance of health for ourselves as well as others around the world.
Celebrating World Health Day 2019
Project HOPE and Urban Plates are joining forces this World Health Day to shine a light on the importance of good health and good health care. Urban Plates will donate 5% of sales at their three Washington-area locations on Sunday, April 7, to support Project HOPE. Project HOPE’s partnership with fine fast casual restaurant Urban Plates began when they selected us as their charitable organization of choice to receive proceeds from the grand opening of their Bethesda location on March 11, 2019.
What is World Health Day?
“Health is a human right; everyone should have the information and services they need to take care of their own health and the health of their families.”
Each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) raises awareness for pressing global health issues, in celebration of its founding on April 7, 1948. World Health Day has focused on many health concerns, including diabetes, healthy blood pressure and safe motherhood. This year, World Health Day is about the WHO’s number one goal: universal health coverage.
What does Universal Health Coverage mean?
In 2015, all United Nations Member States adopted a 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — a plan of action for all of us to collaboratively work towards a future in which all human beings can live their lives in peace, equity, and health. As such, universal health coverage is the WHO’s primary goal. At Project HOPE, we are passionate about working towards this goal as well. We envision a world where everyone has access to the health care needed to reach life’s full potential. We aim to achieve this through helping to build a strong and resilient global community of health-care workers, by empowering them to expertly implement and teach lifesaving solutions.
Three ways in which Project HOPE works to create a healthier world
1) We bring health care to those in need
We have accomplished a lot in global health, but there is still so much more to do. According to the WHO, at least half of the world’s population does not receive the health services they need. We are working in more than 25 countries around the world, and we’ve operated in more than 100 countries total over the past 60 years.
We are humanitarians. Our work is built on a foundation of compassion for people and a high standard of respect for each other, our supporters, and the partners we work with. In everything we do, we put those in need first and we put our lifesaving work ahead of politics and economics.
Helping Cyclone Idai survivors in Mozambique
We currently have an emergency response team on the ground in Mozambique, addressing critical needs in the wake of tropical cyclone Idai. Our team is traveling by any means necessary to reach hard-to-reach communities and the people most in need of medical care. Our medical volunteers are examining and treating patients, making a valuable difference in the lives of children, women, and men that are coping with adversities that are difficult to imagine. Thousands of people have lost family and friends, their homes, and belongings.
Learn more about our emergency response to Cyclone Idai in Mozambique
2) We strengthen local health care systems and work with them to create sustainable solutions
We focus on impact and sustainability. We partner with Ministries of Health and work within existing health-care systems to address gaps and strengthen the local health workforce’s capacity for years to come. We train health-care workers to implement new skills, and teach these new skills to their peers and future health-care workers. This way, we empower people all over the world to serve their communities successfully and with pride.
“You can build a clinic, but all it takes is something terrible to happen and within 5 minutes that clinic no longer exists. When you train somebody, giving them the tools and knowledge to save lives — that will stay with them forever and the impact is much larger. Just imagine how training one nurse, who is then able to train 10 more nurses adds up in terms of impact.”
Project HOPE is dedicated to saving the lives of mothers and newborns in Sierra Leone — the country with the highest maternal mortality ratio in the world. We are supporting local health-care workers through training, including teaching them simple but lifesaving techniques such as kangaroo mother care. In April 2017, Project HOPE provided expert trainers to train 31 national master trainers in essential newborn care, including neonatal resuscitation. Project HOPE’s expert trainers then supervised the national master trainers, as they in turn trained 245 district level trainers from across the country.
3) We work with health systems to ensure they are getting the medicines they need to save lives
In support of our programs and in times of dire need for medical equipment and supplies in emergencies and disaster areas, Project HOPE works with local health systems and our partners to ensure medicines and supplies are available. Shoulder-to-shoulder with the local health workforce and a country’s MOH, we carefully define specific gaps, needs, and priorities in terms of equipment, medicines and supplies that are urgently needed to save more lives.
After Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico in 2017, Project HOPE secured, transported and distributed $2.6 million in medical supplies and equipment, including antibiotics, inhalers, hygiene kits, water treatment kits, and the insulin that kept nine-year-old Nayeli in good health in the months following the hurricane.
You can help too!
Your support allows us to reach more people in need wherever the need is greatest; train more health-care workers to increase our lifesaving impact around the globe; and equip them with medicine and supplies to serve their communities.