Success Stories

Learn more about the work being done across the globe through the Advancing Partners & Communities (APC) grantees to help improve community-based health services. APC's work spans across a wide spectrum of health areas, addressing reproductive health; maternal, newborn and child health; HIV; and community health systems, along with strengthening gender programs and youth initiatives - with community-based family planning as a particular focus.

Photo of Reverend Charles Irongo and his wife, Mrs. Edith Irongo
October 2019

Reverend Charles Irongo and his wife Edith are happy to tell couples in their congregation how they used contraception to space their four children. The reverend, an Archdeacon at the Kyando Anglican Church of Uganda in southeastern Uganda, sees a clear connection between the church’s role in spiritual matters and health issues, like healthy timing and spacing of children.

Photo of Meskerem Mekiso at work
September 2019

Meskerem Mekiso leads a small business enterprise in Ethiopia’s Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR). She supervises seven employees—three women and four men—who install local area networks (LANs) in the district’s health facilities.

Photo of Negash and his colleagues using Health Net at a local facility.
August 2019

Hawas Health Center in Adama Town, Ethiopia, is bustling with activity as health workers prepare for the morning staff meeting. Negash Ali, head of the health center, meets with all case team members to discuss their daily plans before the center opens. With approximately 200 patients attending the clinic each day, Hawas is one of the area’s busiest facilities.

Photo of Muhamed Kanu with three members of the VSLA
August 2019

In November 2018, the USAID-funded Advancing Partners & Communities project began to revitalize the Facility Management Committee and provide refresher programs on the FMC’s responsibilities and commitments to their Peripheral Health Unit.

Photo of Victoria Kamara
August 2019

In November 2018, the Advancing Partners & Communities project came to Mayossoh MCHP to meet with the FMC. They provided refresher training to the FMC on their role in supporting and maintaining the facility.

Photo of Mayor Bio Sounon Bouco in Benin
May 2019

Mr. Bio Sounon Bouco, who has been mayor of Tchaourou since 2008, understands that investing in health programming is critical to his district’s prosperity. Until the USAID-funded Advancing Partners & Communities (APC) project, however, he did not realize the importance of community-based health strategies or how he could support them.

March 2019

WellShare International is integrating DMPA SC self-injection in six sub-counties of Iganga and Bugweri Districts, Uganda in the context of a full and informed choice family planning program. Community Health Workers, known as Village Health Team (VHT) members in Uganda, and health workersoffered injectable contraceptives within youth-friendly community-based family planning services.

Photo of a navigator leading a woman through a clinic
November 2018

Patient navigators community leaders and peers are (members of key population groups and most on treatment themselves) who support linkage to care and follow up for newly diagnosed HIV individuals and provide essential counseling to strengthen treatment adherence.

Photo of a woman doing data entry assisted by a man
November 2018

At the end of March 2018, there was a 71 percent data discrepancy between pre-ART patients reported in the government’s FAPPS database (a component of the national HIV services information system) and the pre-ART patients reported after reviewing medical records at the six clinical sites supported by APC in the Dominican Republic.

Photo of a woman doctor giving ARTs to a man
November 2018

Since initiation of Test and START at six APC-supported clinical sites in FY17, the average number of days from diagnosis to initiation of treatment for newly diagnosed patients dropped from 30 days to seven days by September 2017, and was further reduced to an average 3.9 days by September 2018.

Photo of M ’mah Condé
August 2018

As Guinea’s Ebola survivors recovered from the virus and were discharged from Ebola treatment centers, they faced a new and perhaps even more difficult situation, coming home. The APC project engaged people from 60 communities in the districts most affected by the Ebola outbreak to combat stigma that prevents survivors from reintegrating into their communities and getting the health care they need.

Mekdes measures a pregnant woman’s upper arm circumference as part of her antenatal examination, as Zewdinesh records the findings on the health card.
July 2018

Zewdinesh and Mekdes are health extension workers (HEWs) who provide basic health services to about 9,980 people in Chancho Buba Kebele of Sululta Woreda in Oromia. Health posts are staffed by two or more HEWs, who also make house-to-house visits to provide services to pregnant women, children, and other family members.

Dr. Udofia leading a training on ophthalmic care.
June 2018

Advancing Partners & Communities selected the Liberia College of Physicians and Surgeons, a graduate medical residency program that supports advanced training for physicians across a range of medical specialties, to independently manage the complex medical and surgical cases of Ebola survivors, as well as to offer specialty care to the general population.

A clinician participates in Phebe Paramedical Training Institute’s mental health clinician graduation.
June 2018

Advancing Partners & Communities supported a post-basic mental health training program at the Phebe Paramedical Training Institute to reduce barriers to mental health care in Liberia. The program has trained 38 mental health clinicians to better understand, screen for, and provide mental health services.

Leaders of RENASEG participate in the Survivor Network Regional Workshop in Conakry, Guinea in March 2017. Dr. Seny Ivonne Loua, Vice President (left) and Dr. Mamadou Oury Diallo, President (right).
June 2018

This short story highlights the work that Guinea’s national Ebola survivor network, RENASEG, has accomplished with its 24 member organizations. The network’s vice president, Seny Yvonne Loua, explains what her group has done to help create jobs for Ebola survivors.

Kadiatu
May 2018

When 11-year-old Kadiatu lost her hearing after surviving Ebola, a survivor advocate helped ensure she received appropriate treatment.

Isatu Bangura
May 2018

Isatu Bangura was illiterate when she joined Advancing Partners & Communities' adult literacy program for Ebola survivors in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Now, she can read and write simple sentences and is on the path to self-reliance.

Photo of two men reviewing a medical chart
April 2018

Under PEPFAR, USAID provides financial support to the Muñoz Clinic through the APC project for the provision of HIV care and treatment for migrant populations, most of who are of Haitian descent and live in very poor communities known as bateyes.

Photo of William speaking with a doctor across a desk
April 2018

Since October 2016, IDEV has been implementing the WHO-recommended "Treatment for All" policy which involves immediate initiation of ART for individuals newly diagnosed with HIV, regardless of their CD4 cell count.

Sorie Samura
April 2018

Sorie Samura is a referral coordinator in charge of referrals from peripheral health units and district hospitals across Sierra Leone for all Ebola survivors requiring tertiary care.

Dora Dumbuya
April 2018

A Survivor Advocate helped Ebola survivor Dora Dumbuya access appropriate health services—and ultimately surgery that saved her life.

Peace Hene, Health Keepers Network
March 2018

Peace Hene hails from the Volta region of Ghana. She has been a volunteer health worker since 2012 and joined HealthKeepers Network about two years ago.

Francis Amenuve
March 2018

Francis Amenuve is a HealthKeeper and a subsistence farmer. He attributes his success in getting people to adopt health-promoting practice with his respect for their choices and their privacy.

Amina Amidu
March 2018

Amina Amidu is a smart and hardworking young lady who works with the Kayayei (Head Porters) Youth Association in Agbogbloshie, a suburb of Accra. She joined the HealthKeepers Network after learning about it from the leader of the Youth Association.

Peace Kpodo, HealthKeepers Network
March 2018

Peace Kpodo, a health worker with HealthKeepers Network, provides services including education on family planning; dispelling myths and misconceptions about HIV and AIDS; and promoting and selling family planning commodities.

Believe
March 2018

Believe Semakor is a community health worker who has worked with HealthKeepers Network for almost two years.

Mariatu
February 2018

Mariatu Conteh received life-saving dialysis under the Free Health Care Initiative with the help of Referral Coordinator Momoh Brima in Sierra Leone.

Jimaima outside her home in Liberia.
December 2017

A mother of four and a first-year physician’s assistant trainee at the Tubman National Institute of Medical Arts, Jimaima was interning at the John Yekeh Memorial Clinic in Monrovia when she contracted the Ebola virus disease. Advancing Partners & Communities was critical in helping Jimaima find the necessary care post-Ebola.

APC’s Key Population Focal Point conducting a session on gender identify and sexual orientation.
November 2017

As part of its efforts to overcome stigma and discrimination challenges, APC conducted quarterly sensitization sessions at Guyanese HIV care and treatment sites. In 2017, 66 people, including medical doctors, nurses, community health workers, auxiliary staff, and security personnel, participated.

Michelle talks with a client about ways to minimize ART side effects.
November 2017

Michelle, a client advocate associate with the APC project in Guyana, links people who are newly diagnosed with HIV to care and treatment, and helps people who have stopped coming for care to return.

Doctor Martha Cruz, HIV physician at Hospital Lotes y Servicios, and her patient Richard.
October 2017

Implementation of Test and START at the six PEPFAR/USAID-supported HIV clinics has reduced the patient treatment initiation window from 30 days in early 2017, to an average of seven days by September, extending the benefits to patients and the health system.

Ramona, a navegadora for Haitian clients, reviews a pamphlet in Creole.
October 2017

In October 2017, the HIV clinic at Ricardo Limardo, a public hospital partnered with APC grantee, the Center for Human Promotion and Solidarity (CEPROSH) and the community-based organization Grupo Clara to improve the quality of their HIV services.

Dr. Tonny
August 2017

To equip clergy to discuss and promote healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies, Christian Connections for International Health and Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau conducted a two-day training for a diverse group of religious leaders, including Catholic, Muslim, Pentecostal and Protestant leaders.

Amadu Konneh and Joseph Diggs stand in the newly renovated office.
July 2017

Short story of how APC helped organize the leadership of the National Ebola Survivor Network of Liberia.

Head nurse Margarete Anthony, right, and colleague at the Sussex community health unit attend to a patient.
June 2017

In April 2016, the Government of Sierra Leone launched a post-Ebola recovery plan with USAID support, which involved rehabilitating more than 100 peripheral health units in five priority districts through the Advancing Partners & Communities project.

Manuel
May 2017

Clínica de Familia’s HIV clinic in La Romana province of the Dominican Republic is helping gay men like Manuel get tested for HIV.

CEPROSH staff
May 2017

Since October 2016, Advancing with Partners and Communities has been supporting implementation of Test and START in three provinces of the Dominican Republic. The Centro de Promoción y Solidaridad Humana (CEPROSH) HIV comprehensive care clinic in Puerto Plata is one of the clinics making a difference.

Ruban with his new equipment
April 2017

Mykola Ruban an internally displaced person and wheelchair user from Ukraine received support from United Cerebral Palsy Wheels to pursue a new skill and give back to his community.

Health Workers
April 2017

WellShare International trained 257 village health team members in Uganda to provide adolescents with adolescent sexual and reproductive health counseling and family planning services.

Yodalki
March 2017

Yodalki, a health advocate who has worked for Grupo Este Amor in Eastern Dominican Republic for 14 years, uses his training in community counseling and support to fight for the rights of the LGBTI community and people living with HIV.

Azalia
March 2017

Azalia has worked in his role as premium collector for 13 years, a role that involves not just collecting premiums, but also educating villagers about the CHF and the value in joining.

Winfrida
March 2017

Winfrida Visulo has worked as midwife and nurse manager at the Itepula Dispensary in Mbozi district for 16 years.

Tumpe Mwakasungula
March 2017

Tumpe Mwakasungula has worked as a nurse midwife for 16 years in the Masukulu community of the Rungwe district and enjoys serving in the community.

Edson
March 2017

Edson Timothy Mwakanyamale was active in volunteer and administrative economic activities for many years in the Busokelo district before the village elected him to serve as chairperson of the Community Health Fund Users Association (CHFuA) six months ago.

Leah
March 2017

Leah Mwakinyuke always knew she wanted to be a nurse. She worked hard to overcome barriers to achieve her dream.

Mohamed
March 2017

Success story describing the work of two mental health nurses, Sahr Mortatay Momoh, who runs the Western Area Rural District Mental Health Unit at the China-Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital, and Mohamed James Koroma, Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) Nurse in the country’s only pediatric mental health clinic.

Ms. Wongkham Seepanya
March 2017

Ms. Wongkham Seepanya, a Vientiane-based pediatric physical therapist at the Center for Medical Rehabilitation (CMR), attended a two-month Occupational Therapy Training at Khon Kaen University (KKU), supported by the USAID-funded World Education TEAM Project.

Dr. Bouathep Phoumindr
March 2017

As the only qualified doctor specializing in medical rehabilitation in Lao PDR, Associate Professor Dr. Bouathep Phoumindr is passionate about mentoring the next generation of doctors in physical medicine.

Nurse Vieng
March 2017

Vieng Xaiyasin, a nurse from Mahosot Hospital attended a training held by World Education Laos, to help support cleft lip and palate surgery patients improve their speech. 

LFHC Physical Therapist Sengdeuane Phommy
March 2017

Sengdueane Phommy, or Lah as he is more commonly known, is a physical therapist at the Lao Friends Hospital for Children (LFHC) in Luang Prabang, Laos. Lah has been involved in the care and rehabilitation of many inspiring cases at the hospital.

Antonio Paul
March 2017

Antonio, better known as ‘Sir Paul,’ is one of the few openly gay men in his rural community, serving as an advocate for members of the LGBT community in Guyana.

Shane Paul
March 2017

Shane's journey as a peer educator for HIV began after attending an HIV education session in 2008.

Elizabeth
March 2017

For the past 15 years, Elizabeth Mc Almont has worked tirelessly to provide HIV education and other related services to a wide cross-section of persons in Guyana.

Photo of Zainab
March 2017

A female community leader in Sierra Leone is able to improve water supply to her community's health facility through advocacy and community engagement. 

Bridge built by the community
March 2017

Post-Ebola, a facility management committee in Sierra Leone is encouraging women to return to health facilities to give birth.

Guyana School of Agriculture
March 2017

The Family Awareness Consciousness Togetherness (FACT) program in Guyana helped two sisters, who were made vulnerable by HIV, to break the cycle of poverty and attend university.

Excel workshop participants
February 2017

APC worked with Peace Corps volunteers to conduct an Excel workshop for local NGOs in Benin.

A photo of Ruby
November 2016

Ruby Mercenario is a 32-year-old transgender woman who receives care at the Francisco Gonzalvo public hospital in the La Romana province of the Dominican Republic. She praises the benefits of receiving services at a place free of stigma and discrimination.

Photo of Kayla
November 2016

Kayla and Carlos are beneficiaries of the HIV Comprehensive Care Clinic at the Centro de Promoción y Solidaridad Humana, Inc. (CEPROSH) in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic.

Rosanna Terrero
November 2016

The Dominican Network for People Living with HIV (REDOVIH+) helped Rosanna Terrero give back to others.

Dangou Inoussa
November 2016

APC Benin provides capacity building and technical assistance to a group of local NGOs that implement health interventions in maternal and child health, family planning, and other areas.

Maijua Wu and her physical therapist
October 2016

Twelve-year-old Maijua Wa was admitted to the Lao Friends Hospital for Children (LFHC) for chronic burns from a gas explosion she had sustained five months earlier. In the past several months, Maijua has received intensive medical and wound care from LFHC.

Sussex MCHP
October 2016

One of the biggest challenges throughout the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone was a lack of water and sanitation, which led to poor implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures at health facilities. In the post-Ebola context, as the country moves forward with its Health Sector Recovery Plan, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is a priority.

Fatmata, MCH aide
October 2016

Fatmata, an MCH-aide assumed responsibility for a health post affected by Ebola in Sierra Leone, leaving behind her own community to help one with a greater need.

Photo of D in a wheelchair
May 2016

D is 10 years old and lives with her mother and two half-siblings in a village in Cluj County, Romania. D has carnitine deficiency and severe psychomotor impairment.

Photo of Marius popping a wheelie in his wheelchair
May 2016

When Motivation Romania Foundation (MRF) met Marius, he was shy, not ready to use a wheelchair, and still looking for explanations. One year later, Marius left the MRF sports camp with a gold medal for wheelchair basketball and archery.

Photo of Christine in a wheelchair
May 2016

Christine was a normal, developing 14-year-old child until 2013 when she developed sudden weakness in her legs. She spent a month at Kenyatta National Hospital and was diagnosed with a rare medical condition known as Guillen Barre Syndrome.

Photo of Amalis being interviewed by Rosa Margarita Aybar, APC Program Officer
May 2016

Amalis and Kissairys are two sex workers in the Dominican Republic. They were introduced to HIV care through the Center for Comprehensive Orientation and Investigation's (COIN, in Spanish) mobile clinic.

Rosa Margarita Aybar, Program Officer of APC interviewing Jose Julio (not his real name)
May 2016

José Julio is a 24-year-old cheerful and talkative man who lives in a populous neighborhood of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. He recently enrolled at a university to study medicine.

HealthKeeper Tormeti introducing some products to clients.
April 2016

A former worker of the Ghana Railways Authority, Angelina Tormeti is now a HealthKeeper who supports her family by selling family planning and other health products.

Mrs. Patience Gyasi explains how to use the secure pill to a client.
April 2016

Mrs. Patience Gyasi is a licensed chemical seller at the LA Dadekotopon District, in the Greater Accra Region. For the past 25 years, she has devoted her life to providing health care, including family planning services to her community.

Mrs. Diana Bona (standing) during one of her outreaches
April 2016

Diana Bona, a public health nurse and the regional focal person for adolescent health in the Greater Accra region, is committed to increasing access to adolescent health education in schools within her region.

Mr. Tetteh (right) sharing ideas with a passenger
April 2016

Bernard Tetteh is a 45 year old station guard and transport service operator in Anloga, in the Volta Region. As a station guard, he takes the opportunity to educate people on reproductive health issues.

Stella Nyarko introducing health products to her clients
April 2016

Stella Nyarko became a HealthKeeper through a women’s association. She now provides communities with family planning information and health protection products.

Photo of Fanny
April 2016

Madam Fanny Stafford is the patron of the Young Peer Educators Club established by the HealthKeepers Network (HKN), a non-governmental organization based in Accra.

Photo of Beatrice
April 2016

As a peer educator with the HealthKeepers Network (HKN), Beatrice Ghartey receives training in many areas including adolescent reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections, prevention of teenage pregnancy, sexual abstinence and youth friendly services.

Photo of ADOPLAFAM peer educators Luz Vilorio and Gregory Mercedes
March 2016

APC grantee the Dominican Family Planning Association, Inc. (ADOPLAFAM) provides training and high-quality services in maternal and child health, family planning, reproductive, and sexual health for lower income groups in the Dominican Republic.

Ki with a prosthetic leg that he made.
March 2016

My name is Sybounheuang Sansathit, but everyone calls me Ki. I am a prosthetist and orthoptist (P&O) at the Center for Medical Rehabilitation in Vientiane, Laos. I see about 15 patients per week. I enjoy working with people with disabilities and seeing my clients smile after their new device is fitted.

Photo of Lulia
December 2015

At 9 years old, Lulia was involved in a terrible accident that put her in a wheelchair. With the help of Motivation Romania Foundation (MRF) services and its Peer Group Training (PGT), Lulia was able to gain the confidence to get her life back on track.

Photo of Shelby
December 2015

When five-year-old Shelby was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, World Vision's ACCESS (Accelerating Core Competencies for Effective Wheelchair Services and Support) program helped her find the perfect wheelchair, enabling Shelby and her mother to continue living their life in the community.

Photo of Vanessa
December 2015

Nine-year-old Vanessa was diagnosed with viral meningitis after suffering from a very high fever and convulsions. Her aunt heard about the TEAM project and immediately registered her. The TEAM project is implemented through a grant awarded under APC, by World Vision, who will enable more than 1,900 people with disabilities including victims of war, especially women and girls, to attain and maintain maximum independence.

Photo of Tashana and her aunt.
November 2015

Tashana Legall was born to a low income family in Guyana and lost both her parents to HIV/AIDS. In 2007, Tashana enrolled in a program for children orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV (HKID) at Comforting Hearts. The organization was a source of psychological, nutritional, spiritual and academic support to Tashana for several years. The continued nurturance and support from the staff at CH enabled Tashana to progress at school.

Photo of Gillian
November 2015

Gillian, a visually impaired 41-year-old, found out that she was HIV-positive when her family insisted that she go to the doctor because she was losing weight at a rapid rate. For 3 years she shut herself away from her family and friends, never disclosing her status to anyone. One day she decided to tell a classmate who happened to be a social worker at Lifeline Counselling Services (LCS) and enrolled Gillian in a People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and AIDS support group at LCS.

Photo of Queenie
November 2015

Queenie, or Q as she sometimes goes by, is an HIV positive, transgender (trans) person living in Guyana. When Q fell ill after defaulting on anti-retroviral therapy (ART), she was hesitant to resume her treatment. Given the stigma and discrimination Q had experienced in the hospital as a trans person, she was not looking forward to going back alone. So she reached out to Guyana Trans United (GTU), an organization that supports the trans community, for assistance.

November 2015

In the Dominican Republic (DR), transgender (trans) persons experience stigma and discrimination in many different ways and are denied the same opportunities as other Dominicans. In recent years, more efforts have been directed at improving the quality of life for the trans community. However, these initiatives focus mainly on HIV prevention and treatment, ignoring the multiple socioeconomic and health needs of these marginalized individuals.

Regional Health Service personnel going over the satisfaction survey with a patient in the Hospital Doctor Antonio Musa, in San Pedro de Macoris.
November 2015

Key populations in the Dominican Republic have HIV prevalence rates that are six to twelve times higher than the national average of 0.8 percent. Although there are multiple players committed to tackling the concentrated HIV epidemic, large gaps in coverage and access to HIV prevention, care and treatment services remain.

Photo of two women and a man meeting indoors
May 2015

To respond to the unmet need for family planning (FP) in Uganda, the Salvation Army Integrating Family Planning (SAIFaP) Project organized mobile outreach activities in hard to reach areas.

Photo of Alemnesh Assefa at work at a desk
April 2015

Alemnesh Assefa is a 27-year-old Health Extension Worker (HEW). She is a government employee health worker who serves in a village, where the lowest health structure is called a health post where two HEWs serve a population of 5000.

Photo of Peace Amegadzie holding discussions with drivers at a station in Ashiaman
April 2015

According to 40-year-old Mrs. Peace Amegadzie, her childhood aspiration was to become a fashion designer, but she has still not regretted switching. As a health worker, she is helping people to improve their health and it has also kept her employed and able to support her family.

Photo of HealthKeeper Getrude Kofie speaking to a shopkeeper.
April 2015

Mrs Gertrude Emelyne Kofie, a Health Keeper based in Ashiyie, a suburb of Adenta in the Greater Accra Region has said that, despite the several challenges confronting her profession as a health worker, she is still determined to continue impacting positively people’s lives.

Photo of Nana Ohene Kwatia speaking with people outside their home.
April 2015

Nana Ohene Kwatia, a HealthKeeper who lives at Frafraha-Old Town, a Suburb of the Adentan Community in Accra is also the paramount chief of the Obom traditional area, a suburb of Adawso in the Eastern region. Kwatia said his passion to become a health champion compelled him to join HealthKeepers Network (HKN).

Photo shows Nana Akorlegah educating his male colleagues in his community on the use of condoms
April 2015

Despite the largely invisible role played by men in terms of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Nana Kofi Akorlegah, a Health Keeper based in Ohiamadwen, a suburb of the Shama district in the Western Region, says he was determined to succeed and has no regrets joining the program.

Photo of Edward Basalirwa inspecting a patient's shoulder.
April 2015

Edward Basalirwa is a 40-year-old Village Health Team (VHT) member and farmer from the Iganga District of Uganda. Edward was prompted to form a VHT Association in the Nsale Parish to improve the community’s well-being, and the VHT was elected in the community by the LC1 chairman, or village leader.

April 2015

Paul Mulawa is a 38-year-old Family Planning (FP) Champion and Village Health Team (VHT) member in the Iganga District, Ibalanku subcounty of Uganda. Elected by the community, Mulawa l’s VHT works within their community to promote FP, encourage individuals to immunize their children, and discuss hygiene in their homes.

Frank Fianu educating his colleagues on condom use.
March 2015

The HKN program trains distributors, known as “HealthKeepers,” who directly sell health-promoting products and counsel customers. HKN initiated outreach to work with commercial drivers—known as StationGuards—to promote a healthy lifestyle and provide their peers with reliable access to health protection products and services

two women talking in the steet
March 2015

The HKN program is modeled after a door-to-door sales approach for a line of health products including condoms and oral contraceptives pills. The HealthKeepers go the last mile—right to the doorstep—to sell the basic health-promoting products, especially for women and children.

counselling group
March 2015

Aashish is a 43 year old men who have sex with men (MSM), an alcoholic, and a chain smoker. On his initial visit to FACT, Aashish was enrolled in a support group for MSM. In group discussion, he was educated on the benefits of consistent condom use as well as the importance of good nutrition and healthy food choices.

March 2015

Nam Ne is a 38 year old male living in Beung Run Village, Sombok Commune, Chet Borey District, Kratie Province, Cambodia. In October 2010, Ne had severe low back pain for unknown reasons.

March 2015

Sum Srey Norng is a 15 year old female who lives with her parents and 4 siblings in Bor Em Village, Rominh Commune, Koh Andeth District, Ta Keo Province, Cambodia. In April 2014, she was in a traffic accident when she crossed a road to collect lotus roots and fruit to sell.

February 2015

WellShare International conducted a district assessment on readiness for community-based access to injectables and results showed that only 3 out of the 55 Health Centers in Iganga offer youth-friendly services and that less than 10 percent of Health Center staff are trained in YFS.

February 2015

Through partnership with local government and lower health centers, WellShare International is offering community-based HIV counseling and testing services through outreaches and is integrating family planning alongside other services.

February 2015

With the support of USAID’s Childhood Blindness Grant, Seva Foundation contributed to building the Angkor Hospital for Children’s (AHC) capacity to provide pediatric eye care, improved the clinical diagnosis of eye disease and expanded community outreach programs in Cambodia.

January 2015

APC awarded Physicians for Peace one of the Child Blindness grants to expand the reach of their existing vision care program to elementary school children and indigenous Filipinos in underserved areas throughout the Philippines.

Photo of Hout Thoeung on a tricycle with hand cranks
November 2014

Hout Thoeung, a 22 year old girl, was affected with polio when she was six months old causing both her legs to become paralyzed. She faced limitations in moving around, performing normal daily living activities, and she also faced discrimination from other children in the village.

Photo of Hoeun Chan laying down
November 2014

Hoeun Chan, 27 years old, was a fourth year student of a university in Phnom Penh before he was accidently hit by a bullet in his back bone during a garment factory worker protest which turned violent on November 12, 2013.

Photo of Ros Sokhom in physical therapy
November 2014

Ros Sokhom is a 34 year old female who lives with her husband and a son in Prek Pra commune, MeanChey district, Phnom Penh city. One day in June 2011, Sokhom fell down from the top stair of her house from a height of about 4 meters, which caused her a spinal cord injury.

Photo of a DKT Community Representative in the Eastern Region gives family planning education to a community savings group in Oborpa, in the Manya Krobo Municipal district. Photo Credit: F. Nuertey
November 2014

Although modern contraceptive methods are widely available in family planning facilities across all ten regions of Ghana, convincing women to adopt a method continues to be a challenge.

Photo of health provider Dr. Sonia Ramirez at the CEPROSH clinic seeing a patient
November 2014

Macarena Perez, a trans woman and patient at the CEPROSH health clinic in Puerto Plata, 300 kilometers north of Santo Domingo, shares her grief after her best friend died of AIDS three years ago.

Photo of a client receiving services at Clinica de Familia La Romana with health providers Riqui Rosario and Dr. Wendy Galvez. Photo: Carol Brito
November 2014

Clínica de Familia is helping to ensure that the men who are highest risk for acquiring HIV and other STIs have access to unique, high quality, male-friendly health services in the eastern Dominican Republic.