Meeting Health Needs in the Developing World

Since 1958, Project HOPE has worked to make health care available for people around the globe, providing humanitarian assistance through donated medicines, medical supplies and volunteer medical help. It is committed to long-term sustainable health care and its work includes educating health professionals and community health workers, strengthening health systems, fighting diseases such as TB, HIV/AIDS and diabetes.

Project Hope is also acutely aware that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease are placing an increasing burden on patients, healthcare systems, and economies. According to the World Health Organisation, NCDs account for 63 per cent of global deaths and nearly 80 per cent of deaths in low-to middle-income countries. Yet there are few successful models for NCD treatment and care that currently exist in the developing world. To tackle this situation, Project Hope has questioned how it can engage with corporate volunteers to help in improving global health and also improve their own skills and careers.

This organisation has the ability to unite global health experts from pharmaceutical companies and not-for-profits to solve these health issues. It understands how to engage volunteers from the business world and knows that it is the little things that count, such as volunteers having access to Internet, telephones and transportation as they may well otherwise abandon assignments if they are not able to stay in touch with their families at home and feel safe.  Project Hope also appreciates that many of the volunteers may not have travelled outside of the U.S. before and may experience shock and confusion by their initial exposure to impoverished environments.

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