Colleagues in Global Health 45th Anniversary 1978-2023
Anyone who has ever been involved with Project HOPE understands the adage, “Once a HOPIE always a HOPIE.” Learn more about our Colleagues in Global Health.
Decades of HOPE History
Please celebrate the 45th anniversary of the CGH Alumni Association, which was incorporated in 1978, four years after the SS HOPE was retired. From the Association’s first Bulletin – “The HOPE Alumni Association, made up of those who have shared the HOPE experience, was established by them to maintain contact with Hopies, learn more about the progress of Project HOPE and help advance its future.”
Project HOPE Colleagues in Global Health, HOPIEs, are an extraordinary group of individuals because their bond is one of giving—of themselves, their time and their treasure—to improve the health of people around the world. The mission of the Colleagues in Global Health (formerly Alumni Association) is to keep its members informed about HOPE’s initiatives and progress, and to offer opportunities for our cherished alumni to support HOPE through their knowledge, skills, and financial resources. Colleagues in Global Health is composed of approximately 5,100 members, representing volunteers from the original SS HOPE missions, longer-term land-based programs, and other humanitarian assistance efforts including disaster relief in Ukraine to Hurricane assistance.
TO VIEW THE PROJECT HOPE CGH September 2023 NEWSLETTER click here
Latest News
CGH supports: Neonatal Nursing Specialists: Saving Newborn Lives in Sierra Leone & Malawi
Since 2019, Project HOPE consultants and CGH volunteers have supported the development of a new cadre of neonatal nurses capable of providing quality care for small and sick newborns and helping to decrease the high neonatal mortality in Sierra Leone and Malawi.
In partnership with US based universities and the universities in Malawi and Sierra Leone, HOPE neonatal nurse consultants and volunteers have supported the development of advanced bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in neonatal nursing- the first in both countries. In addition, HOPE neonatal clinical practitioners/educators and biomedical engineers have made on-site visits to build the capacity of the nursing staff and clinical preceptors at the Special Care Baby Units to improve the quality of clinical care for small and sick newborns and to develop a national training center for other districts in the country.
These activities continue to support the goals of building the capacity of both countries to implement and sustain advanced degrees specializing in neonatal nursing and establish centers of learning for new and existing staff in Special Care Baby Units. Sierra Leone and Malawi have benefitted from a dedicated volunteer program of experts, passionate about improving the care of small and sick newborns and to decreasing the high neonatal mortality in their countries.
Ongoing Archival Activities and Plans
Since 1985, keeping important documents and artifacts has been a high priority for Project HOPE. Retaining the history of Project HOPE was the dream of Mrs. Helen Walsh to make it available to staff and volunteers for future programming and planning. Many artifacts, photos and program reports were organized and numbered. A Guide to the Project HOPE Archives was finalized for all paper items from 1958 to 1991 and updated in 2014, by members of CGH who became involved in digitizing all documents and to make photos available to interested people on the worldwide web with a Virtual Gallery: https://projecthope.pastperfectonline.com/We are currently working on digitizing all program reports from 1981 to 2000. This will make these documents available to all HOPE staff for research and new programs in countries where HOPE has worked in the past. We hope to work with a HOPE staff member to integrate or merge all the reports to make them available with one system. Documents from 2000 until today are digitized and available at the HOPE Office.
Use of Association Funds
The CGH Fund, Colleagues in Global Health supports the administrative activities meetings of the CGH, the Virtual Gallery and Global Health program activities.
The William B. Walsh, M.D. Endowment is reserved for the funding of consultants for programs in collaboration with Global Health.
The Lee-Olive Harrison Fund and Dorothy Aeschliman Nursing Education Fund are used for grants for new or current nursing programs.
To Make a Donation to Project HOPE Colleagues in Global Health Fund, Please Reach Out to Debbie Reister.
Please join the CGH, contact me today!! You will receive Newsletters and become familiar with ongoing activities. We would like to hear about your HOPE memories!
Debbie Reister, President: dreister@projecthope.org
Got Facebook? Get Social
Join the Project HOPE Colleagues in Global Health Group on Facebook. “LIKE” the Hopies page on Facebook then send us a message to join our closed Alumni Group. It’s a great place to share photos, memories and reconnect!
Memories including pictures of all programs, please follow the link below: