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11.25 2019

How Mad Libs Helped Share Insights of Scaling Through Government

Originally posted on the Skoll Foundation Blog.

Last week as we prepared for a panel on transitioning health solutions to government, Skoll Principal Liz Diebold introduced me to the word game Mad Libs. While I’d never filled in the blanks for fun as a kid, the idea immediately made sense. Whenever something gets overly complex—as our work in health systems often does—boiling something down to its essence can help get the point across.

Liz and I, along with our moderator Nosa Orobaton, Deputy Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Mike Kollins, Director of Programs from Splash, tried to come up with a pithy way to introduce ourselves for a session, Best Practices in Transitioning Solutions to Government. I agreed that the sentence: Scale matters because_____________ was a great way to get us started.

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10.16 2019

Reaching the Under-Reached: 2020 – 2023 Goals and Strategies

The world has changed greatly in the nearly 20 years since our founders – Blaise Judja-Sato, Craig Nakagawa, Lionel Pierre, and Didier Lavril – joined forces with Mrs. Graça Machel’s Foundation for Community Development in Mozambique to make sure every health center in Northern Mozambique had regular access to vaccines. This year, VillageReach staff and board of directors stepped back to reflect on where we have been since then and where we are going. Today I am thrilled to share with you the results of this reflection – VillageReach’s 2020-2023 Goals and Strategies.

VillageReach’s 2020-2023 Goals and Strategies

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09.12 2019

Partnerships to Ensure Medicine Availability at the Health Facilities

In Zambézia province, VillageReach is working with the government to implement the USAID Last Mile Supply Chain (LMSC) Program, an intervention to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the distribution of medicines. LMSC uses outsourced fourth-party logistics providers (4PLs) to manage distribution and transfer the processes and tools to the government of Mozambique.

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06.13 2019

Three More Reasons to Invest in Health for the Excluded

Originally posted on World Bank Blogs.

At the heart of universal health coverage (UHC) is leaving no one behind.  Remarkable efforts are underway to energize culture, activate politicians and align global actors to prioritize actions that reach the poorest and most marginalized people first.  The health, economic and social benefits of UHC are well-documented.  At VillageReach, three additional reasons inspire us to lead with the last in order to ensure access to affordable and quality health services for all.

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04.04 2019

From Opportunities to Achievements in 2018

Patuma and her daughter who benefit from Chipatala cha pa Foni – Health Center by Phone.

I am pleased to share VillageReach’s 2018 Annual Impact Report  with you. This year’s report demonstrates the gains we made last year in collaboration with Ministries of Health across sub-Saharan Africa and our private and non-profit partners. It takes a deep level of commitment to build sustainable solutions that increase access to health care for all, and we appreciate our generous donors and partners who help make this possible.

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03.31 2019

An Update on the VillageReach Response to Cyclone Idai

Last week I attended assessment meetings with the government and members of the international development community in Maputo. The situation is even more critical with the new threat of waterborne diseases. On Sunday, Ussene Isse, the national director of medical assistance, confirmed 517* cases of cholera. In response, WHO is dispatching 900,000 doses of oral cholera vaccine.

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03.22 2019

VillageReach supports relief efforts after Cyclone Idai

Almost one week ago, Cyclone Idai touched down off the coast of Mozambique, hitting Beira and nearby villages and leaving a path of destruction across Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Now it is a race against time for frontline aid workers, who are working quickly to reach thousands of people trapped by the flooding.

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02.11 2019

To solve WA’s measles epidemic, look to Africa

Originally posted on Crosscut

As a mom who spends most of her waking hours thinking about how to improve health around the world, I’ve never thought twice about whether I vaccinate my son. I know that not all of my neighbors in the Seattle area feel this way, but the decision for me is rational. Vaccines are safe, they prevent disease, and they are relatively low cost and easy to obtain.

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11.14 2018

Committed to the Last Mile, and Evolving

Originally posted on the CASE at DUKE blog

Scaling Pathways—a collaboration between USAID, the Skoll Foundation, Mercy Corps and CASE at Duke—released its second paper in the Theme Study Series, “Leveraging Government Partnerships for Scaled Impact.” Emily Bancroft, President of VillageReach, shares strategies and learnings from nearly 20 years of partnership with governments which are highlighted throughout the paper; the blog below further illuminates the evolution of these partnerships.

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Malawi healthcare worker