Global Health Needs You
Improving global health is a mission that calls all to action. Everyone deserves an equal opportunity for health. Imagine a time when you faced illness or injury. What if there was no hospital or clinic for you to visit –…
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World Development Information Day: The Numbers at the Heart of What We Do
World Development Information Day was celebrated this past Saturday, October 24th to draw attention to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them. The day was started in an effort to improve the dissemination of information…
Health Workers (and their patients) are Counting on YOU!
In our last blog post, we highlighted what lies at the heart of HVO’s mission – the need for empowered health workers to strengthen health systems and provide life-saving care around the world. Now, we’re asking you to help us…
The Heart of HVO’s Mission: Patients Need Health Workers
In a recent interview with the NPR Goats & Soda blog, Dr. Boie Jalloh discusses his work battling Ebola in his home country of Sierra Leone. Dr. Jalloh, who began his work in the Ebola unit at the height of…
Calling Attention to the Global Burden of Cardiovascular Disease on World Heart Day
Today, September 29th, we celebrate World Heart Day. This year the day focuses on creating healthy heart environments by ensuring that everyone has the chance to make healthy heart choices wherever they live, work and play. World Heart Day encourages us all to reduce cardiovascular…
Oral Health: A Global Need for Providers
Oral health is a fundamental component of general health, and there is a global need for oral health care. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers oral disease a major public health problem that, when untreated, results in pain and suffering,…
Orthopaedics in Uganda: A Call for Volunteers from a Former Trainee
“I developed the desire to manage musculoskeletal ailments during my undergraduate training when there was a rapid increase in musculoskeletal trauma due to road traffic accidents in the country,” writes Dr. Isaac Kajja, the Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics…
Empowering Health Workers, Strengthening Health Systems
The 2014 Annual Report for Health Volunteers Overseas is available online. This annual report highlights the contribution of our volunteers, members and donors to improving global health. In 2014, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa brought to light a critical…
Celebrating 29 Years of Improving Global Health through Education
August 1, 2015 marked the 29th anniversary of Health Volunteers Overseas. Since 1986, HVO staff and volunteers have collaborated with a variety of health institutions to design, develop and implement each HVO project, working toward better patient care around the…
Volunteer Tips Part Three: Integrity
This month, we have been highlighting essential traits for successful volunteers. We discussed how HVO volunteers succeed by keeping their minds open and adjusting to unforeseen circumstances, as well as the importance of patience and innovation when volunteering in resource-scarce countries.…
Volunteer Tips Part Two: Patience & Innovation
Earlier this month, we highlighted two important traits of successful volunteers – flexibility and openness. We discussed how HVO volunteers succeed by keeping their minds open and adjusting to unforeseen circumstances; we shared first-hand accounts that highlighted the importance of…
Volunteer Tips Part One: Flexibility & Openness
At HVO, our volunteers are agents of change. They build local capacity by providing health care professionals in resource-scarce countries with knowledge and skills to address the needs of their communities. The mission that HVO volunteers undertake is demanding –…