Originally posted at Medium.com
I am excited to announce three new leaders for VillageReach – two who are stepping into new roles, and one who we welcome to the VillageReach family. As an organization that is committed to leadership that represents the diversity of our global team, we value the growth and evolution of leaders within our incredible staff of 160 people around the globe.
Read full storyAddressing vaccine hesitancy is not a new challenge in public health. But the issue has been thrust into the spotlight since COVID-19 vaccinations began, often with a myopic focus on the refusal of people to use available doses. The result? A single story that clouds the real, complex barriers to vaccine uptake.
Vaccine hesitancy is defined as the delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite their availability. According to the World Health Organization’s “3C’s model” there are three main factors at play: confidence, complacency and convenience.
Read full storyOriginally posted on medium.com.
VillageReach and Emerging Public Leaders co-hosted a session at this year’s Skoll World Forum entitled “The Elephant in the Room: Exploring the Funder-Government Power Dynamics.” The session highlighted some of the issues that inhibit shared power and identified tangible examples to help close the distance between opposing systems of funders and governments, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Several panelists agreed to answer additional questions from audience members that weren’t able to be covered during the session. (Watch the full session on Youtube and read the Devex article for context and speakers.)
Read full storyIgniting a new way of thinking requires a spark.
At Spark Health Africa we are this spark; a small but passionate team of changemakers who believe and live our values. Our organization’s DNA is built from a genuine belief in the power of a transformed mind, coupled with an equal measure of enthusiasm and persistence for results. As the new Learning Network steward will we ignite the change necessary to put government priorities at the center. Because we cannot sustain impact at scale by working in silos, we use our deep understanding of the public sector and their partners organizations to support government ownership and develop common goals across partners to achieve lasting change.
Read full storyToday, Malawi became the tenth African country to receive COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility. 360,000 Oxford-AstraZeneca doses arrived at the Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe to great fanfare, as Malawi recently suffered an intense second wave of COVID-19 infections.
Read full storyBeing responsive to the COVID-19 pandemic for VillageReach has meant engaging in radical collaborations and responding to the present while designing for the future. We have been working from a set of principles over the last seven months, and one of the outcomes is a powerful initiative – the COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa (the Fund): a personal protective equipment (PPE) initiative for community health workers (CHWs).
Read full storyOne of VillageReach’s employees, Paulin Kaza, had his young life tragically cut short in a car accident on June 25, 2020. Paulin has been VillageReach’s provincial coordinator in Tanganikya, a Southeast province of DRC, since he started with the organization in December 2018.
Paulin made those around him better — all who knew Paulin were buoyed by his support and moved by his joyful spirit. Paulin was passionate making sure all children had access to health care, which was part of what motivated him and made him proud of his work at VillageReach. He was well-respected by his colleagues, the provincial health leadership and partners, and known for solving problems.
Read full storyNotre collègue Paulin Kaza a vu sa jeune vie tragiquement interrompue dans un accident de voiture le 25 juin 2020. Paulin était le coordinateur provincial de VillageReach au Tanganyika, une province du sud-est de la RDC, depuis ses débuts avec l’organisation en décembre 2018.
Paulin a inspiré ceux qui l’entouraient – ceux qui le connaissaient étaient émus par son soutien et son esprit joyeux. Paulin était passionné de s’assurer que tous les enfants avaient accès aux soins de santé, ce qui le motivait et le rendait fier de son travail à VillageReach. Il était très respecté par ses collègues, le personnel provincial de la santé et les partenaires, et était connu pour trouver des solutions aux problèmes.
Read full storyFew people doubt that innovations from outside the public sector can help governments address myriad social problems. What is much less clear is the pathway for ensuring that promising innovations are sustained at scale. As Africa Regional Advisor for Health Innovation at WHO, Dr. Moredreck Chibi is helping light the innovation path for the 47 member states in the Africa region.
Dr. Chibi shared his views during a dialogue led by Catalyst 2030, a global movement of social change innovators working to accelerate achievement of the SDGs. Catalyst 2030 will present propositions to the UN Taskforce and governments for a potential UN Resolution next month.
I am proud to share VillageReach’s 2019 Annual Report. This report highlights the milestones of the last year as well as the changemakers who helped transform health care delivery.
Universal Health Coverage requires strong and effective primary health care systems. Constant collaboration with ministries of health, our private sector and nonprofit partners, and continued support from our generous donors, will help get us there. Only together – and with inspiring changemakers like Patience, Emanuel and Chaido – can we accelerate the pace of change.
Warm Regards,
Emily Bancroft
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