Doctors For Global Health Inc

I was first introduced to Doctors for Global Health (DGH) as one of the most transparent organizations in the realm of health and human rights. And it absolutely is.
It is entirely run by a dedicated team of volunteers committed to promoting health for all and challenging socio, political injustices. Having just begun working on the board, I am already hugely inspired by the fabulous team and their tremendous efforts.

I became involved when the group was forming because mutual friends/ colleages said I needed to meet Lanny Smith the founder. Over the years I have worked with the group as advisor, board member and supplier of volunteers (my students in medicine and public health) all of whom had wonderful professional and personel experiences. I also helped them evaluate one project that did not seem to be working well and which DGH decided to drop because it was not meeting expectations.

I have worked with this organization since 2003, including more than a year on the ground in El Salvador. It has been a great experience. Among the highlights are:
--Strong connections with local people in El Salvador - DGH takes local leadership very seriously.
--Ability to have an impact from very early on
--Ability to contribute more and more, due to a very democratic organizational structure
--Wonderful colleagues, mentors, and students through Doctors for Global Health

I had the opportunity to volunteer with DGH in the community of Santa Marta, El Salvador in 2008. It was a wonderful experience to be able to participate in the work of the Community Rehabilitation Center alongside the two health promotors. Over the years I have also attended several General Assemblies and got to know the people behind this organization. These people are full of humility, enthusiasm and transparency. I hope to continue working with DGH in the future.

DGH is dedicated to community accompaniment and social justice through health and education. The commitment and philosophy of the organization are second to none! I'm motivated each time I come into contact with other DGH members and see the work happening on the ground in our partner communities.

hard working bunch helping poor communities as few other not for profit does in that they work from the bottom up, work with the communiy toward achieving community defined goals and so the community can continue on their own.

Doctors for Global Health (DGH) is a unique organization. It focuses on helping to make underserved communities healthy, but DGH’s definition of health is much broader than many other "health" or "medical" non-profits. While DGH does help to bring community-oriented primary care to the communities where it works, providing basic health services, DGH believes education is essential to a community's health, as is economic wellbeing and environmental safety. DGH also promotes human rights, which lead to self-determination, as a fundamental component of health. In addition, DGH interweaves the arts into its work, believing the soul needs nourishing as much as the body. Even the way DGH goes about deciding what projects it will undertake is unique. DGH works closely with the communities which it accompanies in what it calls ‘participatory investigation.’ DGH defines participatory investigation as “being invited by the community, working with it to explore its strengths and weaknesses in health, establishing priorities toward better health, developing initiatives to address the chosen priorities and evaluating their success.” This approach means DGH is not at all paternalistic. DGH works side-by-side with community members as partners rather than clients or victims in need of help, which empowers community members to take charge of what needs to be done to make their lives and communities better rather than making them dependent on charity. That is why I donate to and volunteer with DGH. Their philosophy is closely aligned with mine in not looking at people as incapable simply because they are poor and need help. Instead, DGH sees their strengths and works with them to bring out those talents for the good of their families and communities. In addition, I know that DGH is using as much of donated money directly on the communities it accompanies as possible and not wasting it on unnecessary administrative overhead.

I first contacted with DGH in 2004. At the time, I had read about DGH on the internet and immediately became drawn to their principles of action and inclusiveness as an organization. As a physiotherapist, it was extremely difficult for me to find an organization that I could adhere to (and eventually volunteer with) that valued the experience of other professionals besides Doctors and Nurses. Since 2004 I have had the chance to visit several of the Community Projects as well as get to know the organization from within (I am now on the Board of Directors). It is great to volunteer my time with a group that recognizes that health is more than the absence of illness, and who values the promotion of the arts and other human rights in all their projects.

I first learned of DGH as a medical student, when Lanny Smith gave a lecture. For the first time in my experience as a med student, I felt that I had found a group of people who, like me, have a deep commitment to justice and equity, and are driven to help communities that have suffered from poverty and injustice organize and thrive. I had the opportunity to volunteer with DGH briefly in 2004 while in medical school, and again for a short time in 2006 as a resident. Since then, I precept our volunteer medical students by phone in El Salvador, and joined the board in 2007.

As a founding member of Doctors for Global Health since incorporated in 1995, DGH has continued to be the primary volunteer organization that received my time, my energy, my money and my passion. Through DGH volunteer and financial support, many communities have been able to make significant changes that have improved the daily lives of local individuals and groups. Always working WITH local community leaders through accompaniment, DGH fosters improvements in health, education, community development and empowerment of local leaders and workers. DGH volunteers are working in communities in El Salvador, Uganda, Chiapas (Mexico), Guatemala, Peru and Burundi.

I became acquainted with Dr. Lanny Smith and people who would later form DGH when I worked as a pediatrician and field coordinator with Lanny in rural El Salvador (where DGH was born). I had planned to be there for 2 months and stayed for 2 years. My time in El Salvador was critical to my professional development. Working side by side with campesinos, listening as they prioritized their health needs, and helping them find and implement solutions, was a profound experience. During my time in El Salvador, we helped the people of these rural communities start a holistic health and human rights program that included the following: created and implemented diverse interactive curriculum for community health workers and kindergarten teachers; assisted design and implementation of community development projects focused on environmental stabilization, nutrition and water/sanitation; constructed two health clinics, five kindergartens and a vehicular bridge; worked with local counterparts to form nationally recognized, non-governmental organizations (Medicos por el Derecho a la Salud – Doctors for the Right to Health, and Asociacion Campesina para el Desarrollo Humano – Peasant Organization for Human Development). I gained firsthand knowledge of the social determinants of health and how to take a multidisciplinary approach to improve the health and well-being of all. I have been an active member of DGH ever since. We continue to work in Estancia, El Salvador, as well as Santa Marta, El Salvador; Chiapas, Mexico; Cusco, Peru; Guatemala; Uganda, and Burundi. We practice "liberation medicine," the conscious and conscientious use of health to promote human dignity and social justice. We believe optimal health is a human right regardless of people’s place in society, geographic location, physical or mental disability, culture, age or other attribute. We are addressing this by accompanying communities, while educating and inspiring others to action.