Module 9: Designing New Programs & Organizations
9.1 Principles of a Successful Global Health Program or Organization
Many individuals who initiate their own organizations are often motivated by a desire for social change. They first identify a need and then develop a creative solution. For instance, aware of the need to reduce the risk of HIV, hepatitis B, and other infections to patients during injections, PATH develops a one-time-use syringe. However, PATH also sees a potential problem, as countries would be unlikely to adopt this new technology because it is more expensive than a regular syringe. As a solution, PATH pools several countries’ orders together and purchases in bulk from the syringe manufacturers, thus keeping the prices low.(1)
A few principles are recommended when setting up a global health program or organization:
- Grassroots Approach: It is important to partner with the locals. Local leaders, community members and especially local healthcare personnel who possess intimate knowledge of local circumstances, must be involved to further the objectives of the organization.
- Measurable Impact: There must be metrics by which outcomes can be evaluated and tracked.
- Minimal Overheads: The majority of the funds should be channeled into programs that directly help the intended beneficiaries.
- Uncompromised Healthcare Standards: Only medical professionals can provide specialized medical treatment. Low-resource settings are not places of experimentation for students eager to test out their surgical finesse. Health care is a fundamental human right. And that not only means every human being should have access to health care regardless of ability to pay, but it also means that all human lives are equal and deserve the best care available.
- Sustainable Source of Funding: Fundraising is a large component of volunteerism in global health. Global health organizations subsidize medical costs, pay community health workers, and provide medical equipment and supplies, all of which cost money. A network of volunteers can tap an even larger network of funding sources, providing much-needed funds to global health NGOs and nonprofits. For instance, because Unite For Sight applies best practices in public health and community eye care, new volunteers are always drawn to the organization, and they provide a vital source of funding through their fundraising efforts.
9.2 Pitfalls to Avoid
- The goal of a global health program should be to cause a long-term paradigm shift, not to prescribe a short-term intervention.
- As much as volunteers are looking for an experience, the emphasis of global health programs should be on social outcomes, not on gratifying volunteers. Volunters should be involved in order to provide a needed service to the local community, not to be entertained as tourists. Indeed, global health volunteering is becoming popular, and there is a proliferation of volunteer companies that promise their clients life-changing experiences abroad. However, vacation-like programs that charge volunteers to be spectators to poverty are increasingly common and should be avoided. Ethical, quality participation by all involved is a must.
Footnotes
(1) "PATH: Making Injections Safer." PATH. PATH. 15 Jul 2009 <http://www.path.org/projects/making_injections_safer.php>.